On Wednesday (2 October), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced that about 930,000 Singaporean households staying in Housing Board (HDB) flats are all set to receive the next installment of the GST Voucher in October to offset part of their utility bills.
In the statement, the Ministry noted that these households will benefit from the Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebate, and the amount that they will receive depends on the type of HDB flat they reside in.
The U-Save is one of three components under the permanent GST Voucher scheme. The U-Save rebates, which are distributed every three months, help HDB households offset part of their utility bills and therefore lower their overall household expenses.
In 2019, eligible Singaporean households are expected to benefit from U-Save rebates amounting to S$300 million, MOF noted.
For the voucher that will be handed out this month, residents living in one-and two-room HDB flats will receive S$100, while those in three-room flats will get S$90.
As for anyone living in four-room flats, they will be given S$80 voucher, whereas families staying in five-room flats will get S$70 and those in executive or multi-generation flats can expect S$60.
MOF also added that under the Open Electricity Market (OEM), eligible households will continue to receive U-Save rebates regardless of their electricity provider.
The GST Voucher – U-Save has enabled households in 1- and 2-room HDB flats to receive support which is equivalent to about three to four months of their utilities bills on average annually, said the ministry.
Those living in 3- and 4-room HDB flats receive support equivalent to about one to two months of their utilities bills, it added.
This announcement comes right after SP Group revealed on Monday (30 September) that the electricity tariff for the last quarter of 2019, between 1 October to 31 December, will decrease by an average of 3.3% or 0.79 per kWh compared to the previous quarter.
In a statement, SP Group attributed the decrease to the lower cost of natural gas for electricity generation compared with the previous quarter which was at a five-year high.
Electricity tariffs for households before GST will decrease from 24.22 to 23.43 cents per kWh. The statement noted that this means the average monthly electricity bill for families in four-room HDB flats will drop by approximately S$2.84 before GST.
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