SINGAPORE - Some 950,000 households living in Housing Board flats will receive their quarterly Goods and Services Tax (GST) Voucher - U-Save rebates this month.
It is the sixth tranche of the payment in the current fiscal year, meant to help lower and middle income families amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Eligible households should have received three tranches of the quarterly payout, in April, July and October last year, with amounts varying according to the HDB flat type they live in.
They should also have received two special payments, in April and July. This was announced by the Government in its Budget statement last year, to provide more help to families.
Together, the four regular and two special payments amount to $460 million, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Saturday (Jan 1).
This month, those living in one- and two-room flats will receive $95. Those living in three-room flats will get $85, while people living in four-room flats will receive $75 and those in five-room flats will get $65.
Those living in executive or multi-generation flats will receive $55.
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Households whose members own more than one property remain ineligible under the GST voucher - U-Save scheme.
MOF said on Saturday that with the greater payout this financial year, the average household living in a one- and two-room flat should receive rebates equivalent to about four-and-a-half to six months of their utility bills.
Those living in three- and four-room flats should get rebates equivalent to about one-and-a-half to three months of their utility bills.
The total amount of rebates received for the fiscal year 2021 ranges from $355 to $595, depending on the HDB flat type.
The GSTV - U-Save rebates began as a permanent scheme in 2012 to help lower- and middle-income Singaporeans offset some of their GST expenses. It is made up of three components — cash, MediSave and U-Save.
In the fiscal year 2020, the Government disbursed $630 million through the GSTV - U-Save schemes, including special payments.
These rebates also featured additional transfers to support households through the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
