SINGAPORE – Starting Jan 3, every Singaporean household can claim $500 worth of Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers to ease daily expenses. A
SINGAPORE – Starting Jan 3, every Singaporean household can claim $500 worth of Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers to ease daily expenses. Announced by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, this new tranche provides $200 more than the previous 2023 round, allowing families to spend half the vouchers at supermarkets and half at hawkers and heartland businesses. Covering nearly 1.27 million households, the scheme will cost the government $635 million.
DPM Wong highlighted that the CDC vouchers form part of a broader assistance package aimed at easing inflation pressures. Other upcoming support includes cash payouts from the Assurance Package, MediSave top-ups for seniors, and offsets for HDB households’ utility and service charges.
Despite Singapore’s economic challenges in 2023, there are signs that 2024 may bring moderated inflation and gradual improvement, particularly in manufacturing. However, global uncertainties and tensions remain potential risks.
First introduced in December 2021 to support merchants affected by the pandemic, the CDC voucher scheme has seen high engagement, with a 97.7% claim rate in 2023. The scheme now includes Cold Storage among its participating supermarkets, alongside Ang Mo, Giant, Hao Mart, FairPrice, Prime, Sheng Siong, and U Stars. Today, over 23,000 heartland merchants are involved, double the count from 2021.
Eligible households will receive a notification letter with claim details. To redeem the vouchers, one household member can log in at www.go.gov.sg/cdcv with Singpass, after which the vouchers can be shared digitally with other household members. Support will be available at community centers for those less familiar with digital processes.
Several supermarkets are offering promotions for customers using CDC vouchers. FairPrice, for instance, has pledged to provide additional discounts, extending last year’s community contribution of around $200 million in rebates and discounts. The vouchers will remain valid until Dec 31, 2024.
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