Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Heng Swee Keat isn’t lying when he says he has a plan. And this time, it’s not only for the East Coast.
The aptly titled “Emerging Stronger, Together Budget” (named by the Man With the Plan himself) will seek to support more families, especially in this precarious economic situation.
DPM Heng has allocated $900 million to help all families in the Household Support Package as announced in his Budget 2021 speech.
The package is eligible for all Singaporean Housing development Board (HDB) households, with lower and middle-income households slated to receive additional support.
Firstly, approximately 1.3 million households will receive $100 worth of Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers which can be used at participating heartland stores and hawker centres.
An additional $150 million has been granted to CDCs for this scheme, and more details will be released by them in the coming future.
This comes as no surprise, as our hawker heroes have been “quite affected by the safety measures, especially during the circuit breaker,” said Mr Heng.
Now is the time to get off your food delivery app (and your couch) and head to your favourite hawker stall for some delicious local fare. But keep it to 8 people or less, please.
In addition, all Singaporean children below the age of 21 will be receiving a one-off top-up of $200 into their Child Development, Edusave, or Post-secondary Education Account to help offset any education-related fees. The former will be topped up in September 2021, while the other two will be in May 2021.
Parents would be very happy to hear this.
Helping lower-income households
All lower and middle-income Singaporeans who qualify for the GST Voucher will also receive an additional one-off GST Voucher-Cash Special Payment worth $200 in June.
You’ll need to be above the age of 21 to be eligible for the GST Voucher. Households which are valued below $21,000 and have a household income of less than $28,000 will receive up to a total of up to $500 in GST Voucher-Cash Special Payment with the support.
To learn more about the GST Voucher, you can watch this video to the end (and please remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more informative videos!):
Furthermore, eligible HDB households will get an additional 50% of their GST Voucher in the U-Save rebate, equal to a total of $120 – 200 in utility rebates. This will take place in April and July 2021 with the usual GST Voucher-U-Save rebates.
The total amount that a household will receive is dependant on their household type. Residents living in one- and two-room flats will receive $595 and those living in three-room flats will get $535. Families living in four- and five-room flats will receive $475 and $415 respectively.
Mr Heng has also announced the continuation of the service and conservatory charges rebate that will help to cover between 1.5 – 3.5 months of such expenses. The rebate will be given out in April, July, October 2021 and January 2022.
To learn more about what’s announced in the budget, click here.
Featured Image: happycreator / Shutterstock.com
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