To lessen the living expenses of Singaporeans, the government will hand out GST Voucher – Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebates worth $100 million to around 800,000 HDB households in January 2015.
According to the Ministry of Finance (MOF), each eligible family will receive up to S$195 in the form of vouchers and special payments depending on the number of rooms in their flat.
With these rebates, those residing in flats with a maximum of two rooms can offset about three to four months of their utility bills on average, while those living in three- or four-roomers will be able to offset about three months’ worth of utility bills.
Notably, the regular GST Voucher – U-Save rebate is distributed four times per annum, and is part of the permanent GST Voucher scheme, which aims to help low- and middle-income households cope with their living expenses.
As part of the Budget 2014, the government also introduced the GST Voucher – U-Save Special Payment which provides more rebates to eligible families living in smaller flats. The first part of this payment was allotted last July, and the next batch in January is slated to be its second and final instalment.
Muneerah Bee, Senior Journalist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email muneerah@propertyguru.com.sg
