950,000 HDB households to get second tranche of GST vouchers in July
HDB flats in Singapore. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan/CNA)
SINGAPORE: About 950,000 Singaporean households living in Housing Board (HDB) flats will receive their second quarterly Goods and Services Tax Voucher (GSTV) – U-Save and GSTV – service and conservancy charges (S&CC) rebates in July .
These rebates are part of the enhanced permanent GSTV scheme and Household Support Package announced during the 2022 Budget in February.
They will provide "continuing help" to defray the GST and other living expenses of lower- to middle-income Singaporean households, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Friday (Jul 1).
Singapore is facing a rising cost of living amid higher global energy and food prices as well as supply chain disruptions.
The authorities have said that an upcoming increase to the GST will not be delayed despite rising inflation, and have announced several support measures to help Singaporeans with rising costs.
Under the enhanced GSTV scheme, eligible households will receive GSTV – S&CC rebates to offset between 1.5 and 3.5 months of their S&CC each year. The rebates are disbursed in April, July, October, and January.
Finance Minister Lawrence Wong had said in February that the GST Voucher - U-Save rebates for the rest of the year would be doubled.
This amounts to about eight to 10 months' worth of utility bills for the average household living in 1- and 2-room HDB flats, said the Finance Ministry.
For the average household living in 3- and 4-room HDB flats, this amounts to about four to six months' worth of utility bills.
Households whose members own more than one property are not eligible for GSTV – U-Save, said MOF.
Additional rebates will be credited to the eligible households at the same time as their regular GSTV - U-Save in the usual four quarters.
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For GSTV - S&CC rebates, they will be credited directly into the households' S&CC accounts, which are managed by their respective town councils. Households do not need to take any action to benefit from the rebates.
Households with no Singapore citizen flat owner or occupier in the flat, whose flat owner(s) or essential occupier(s) own or have any interest in a private property, or have rented out the entire flat, are not eligible for the S&CC rebate.
