SINGAPORE —?More than 950,000 Singaporean households in Housing Board flats will receive U-Save and Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates in April, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF)?on March 28.
The rebates —?the first quarterly disbursement in the 2024 financial year — are part of the permanent GST Voucher (GSTV) scheme and the Assurance Package, which received a $1.9 billion boost in Budget 2024 to help people cope with an uncertain economic outlook.
Disbursed in April, July, October, and January each year, the rebates aim to defray the hike in GST and provide cost-of-living support for lower- to middle-income households.
Additional U-Save will be provided to help Singaporean HDB households cope with increases in their utility bills. In total, eligible households will receive 2.5 times the amount of regular U-Save, or up to $950, in the 2024 financial year.
On average, this will cover about eight months of utility bills for those living in one- and two-room flats, and about four months of utility bills for those living in three- and four- room flats, said MOF.
Eligible households will receive up to four months of S&CC rebates altogether in the 2024 financial year. This includes the one-off rebate to offset half a month of S&CC in January 2025.
Eligible households do not need to do anything to benefit from these schemes.
The U-Save rebates will be credited directly into households' utilities accounts with SP Services, while the S&CC rebates will be credited directly by town councils.
On March 28, grid operator SP Group announced lower gas and electricity tariffs from April 1 to June 30, citing lower costs.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.