GST Vouchers to be given to HDB households this month for utility bills rebate

About 930,000 Singaporeans residing in Housing and Development Board (HDB) will receive GST (goods and services tax) Voucher this month (January) to help manage their utility bills.

The Utility-Save (U-Save) rebate is part of the permanent GST Voucher scheme and is distributed every three months.

The rebate is up to S$100 depending on the type of the HDB flat, the Ministry of Finance announced in a statement on Thursday (2 Jan).

The rebate is expected to cost the Government about S$300 million from April last year to March 2020. The purpose of it is to offset part of the residents utility bills and to better manage their expenses.

Those living in one-and-two rooms will receive S$100 meanwhile those in three-room flats will receive S$90.

Families living in four-room flats will get S$80 and those in five-room flats will get S$70. Executive or Multi-Generation residents will receive S$60.

The U-Save rebates are however not eligible for households whose members own more than one property. Households that are eligible will continue to receive the voucher regardless of their electricity provider, said the ministry.

Those living in one-and-two room flats, the annual rebate is equivalent to three to four months of utility bills said the Ministry of Finance. Meanwhile, the rebate is equivalent to about one to two months of utility bills for residents living in three-and four-rooms flats.

“You have my commitment that we will help Singaporeans cope with the change. More will be given to those with less, because this is fair,” said the Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat in his Facebook post announcing the upcoming budget in 18 Feb.

The Government is set to raise the GST after the next General Elections from 7 to 9 per cent.

For more information on U-Save, call SP Group on 6671-7117 or send an e-mail to [email protected]

The details on the GST Voucher scheme can be found at www.gstvouchers.gov.sg