SINGAPORE – About 950,000 households living in Housing Board flats will be receiving their quarterly goods and services tax (GST) rebates in October.
They will be disbursed through the GST Voucher (GSTV) – U-Save initiative, and credited via offsets to household utility bills, said the Ministry of Finance on Friday (Oct 1).
The total amount distributed under the GSTV – U-Save and U-Save Special Payment initiatives this financial year will tally up to about $460 million.
The amount that households will get is tagged to the type of HDB residence.
Households in one- and two-room HDB flats typically receive rebates that amount to an average of about three to four months of their utility bills.
With the addition of the U-Save Special Payment, the rebates will amount to about 4½ to six months of their utility bills.
For those in three- and four-room HDB flats, the additional support will be equivalent to about 1½ to three months of their utility bills.
The next round of GSTV – U-Save rebates for this financial year will be in January next year.
The U-Save Special Payment was previously given in April and July, where households received additional rebates amounting to 50 per cent of their regular GST rebates over this financial year, as part of the Household Support Package announced during this year’s Budget.
There are no more special payments for this financial year.
The GST 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 last financial year, 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 from the Covid-19 pandemic.
