SINGAPORE: About 930,000 Singaporean households living in Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats will receive the next instalment of the GST Voucher – Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebate in January, the Ministry of Finance announced on Thursday (Jan 2).
The rebate, which is part of the permanent GST Voucher scheme, is distributed every three months. It helps households offset part of their utilities bills and lowers their expenses, the ministry said.
U-Save rebates amounting to S$300 million are expected to be given out in the year ending March 2020.
Eligible households will each receive a rebate of up to S$100 in January, depending on their flat type.
(Source: Ministry of Finance)
Households whose members own more than one property are not eligible for the U-Save rebates.
The annual rebates are equivalent to three to four months of utilities bills for those living in one- and two-room flats, the finance ministry said.
For those living in three- and four-room flats, the rebates are equivalent to about one to two months of utilities bills, it added.
SP Group on Monday announced that the electricity tariff for households will increase by 3.5 per cent, or 0.81 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), bringing the tariff to 24.24 cents in the January to March period.
The latest tariff will be the highest rate since the last quarter in 2014, when it was at 25.28 cents per kWh.
As an example, families living in one-room flats can expect their average monthly bill to increase by S$1.02 while those in five-room flats can expect their bill to go up by S$3.20.
City Gas also announced on Monday that gas tariffs for households will fall by 4.22 per cent or 0.76 cent per kWh in the first quarter this year.
READ: Singapore economy expands 0.7% in 2019, slowest in a decade
“We would like to assure Singaporeans that there are many schemes in place to help with living costs, including substantial subsidies for housing, healthcare and education,” said Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Education in the press release.
“The Government will continue to explore ways to help Singaporeans with their cost of living, especially in this period of economic uncertainty,” she added.
More information on the GST Voucher can be found at www.gstvoucher.gov.sg.
