The new tranche, announced by the city-state’s Second Minister for Finance Jeffrey Siow on Wednesday, comes in addition to the S$500 in CDC vouchers that were distributed last month.
Half of the vouchers can be spent at participating heartland merchants and hawkers while the remainder is valid at participating supermarkets. Vouchers from both tranches will remain valid until Dec. 31, 2027.
Eligible households will also receive twice the regular amount of U-Save utility rebates, ranging from S$110 to S$190, this October and next January.
The additional vouchers and utility rebates form part of a S$900 million support package unveiled on Wednesday to help households cope with high energy prices stemming from the Middle East conflict.
It is the government’s second round of support measures in response to the conflict, following a S$1 billion package announced in April.
The earlier package brought forward the CDC vouchers and provided S$200 in cash to platform workers, private-hire car drivers and taxi drivers.
It also topped up a cash handout scheme known as the Cost-of-Living Special Payment. As a result, eligible Singaporean adults will receive S$400-S$600 under the scheme in September, compared with S$200-S$400 previously.
People ride bikes past the skyline of the central business district in Singapore, June 13, 2025. Photo by Reuters |
Siow said the government expects global energy prices to stay elevated, leading to costlier petrol, diesel, electricity and certain imported goods, as quoted by The Straits Times.
Though Singapore’s economy has performed better than expected, expanding 6.3% in the first quarter and, based on advance estimates, 5.7% in the second quarter, Siow said there is feedback from parts of the economy that help is necessary.
He added that considerable uncertainty remains over the coming months, making it difficult to predict whether conditions will worsen or whether the strong economic performance will persist.
Introduced in 2020 and later expanded, the CDC vouchers have been given out every year since to help households cope with rising living costs while supporting businesses.
Low Yen Ling, senior minister of state for Trade and Industry, said between January and July 28, some S$1.03 billion worth of CDC vouchers and SG60 vouchers, which operate in a similar way and were distributed last year to mark Singapore’s 60th anniversary, have been spent by households.
“We should not see the tranche of support measures in isolation. It all builds on each other,” she said, as quoted by Channel News Asia.
“This S$1.03 billion of vouchers has helped to catalyse the footfall and the demand for the goods and services and the meals at the participating heartland shops and also hawkers, including the coffee shops as well.”
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