Singaporean households will receive $300 worth of Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers on Friday (Jan 3) to help with cost of living.

In a video posted to his social media pages, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that the vouchers are available for redemption on Friday, and are valid till Dec 31.

"I hope this will go some way in supporting you and your family," said PM Wong.

The latest tranche of CDC vouchers are part of the $1.9 billion enhancement to the Assurance Package which were announced during Budget 2024. 

Singaporeans would get $600 in CDC vouchers — which would be split into two disbursements in June 2024 and January 2025. 

These vouchers can be used at participating hawkers, heartland merchants and supermarkets. 

To redeem the vouchers on behalf of their household, one member can visit go.gov.sg/cdcv and log in with their Singpass. 

After claiming the vouchers, the claimant will receive an SMS with a unique voucher link from gov.sg to their mobile phone number. The link can be shared with other household members for them to utilise the vouchers. 

A list of participating businesses can be found at go.gov.sg/cdcvouchers.

Those who are unable to redeem their vouchers online can seek help at community centres or community clubs and SG Digital Community Hubs from Jan 3 to Jan 16, reported CNA. 

Assistance will also be rendered to residents without smartphones or those who need help setting up Singpass accounts or resetting passwords. 

On Friday, the People's Association (PA) and CDCs also reminded members of the public to beware of scams, as claiming the vouchers does not require any bank applications or transactions, reported The Straits Times. 

Members of the public can report suspicious messages relating to CDC vouchers to the PA by calling 6225 5322 or the police at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness or 1800 2550 000.

97% of CDC vouchers claimed in 2024

Speaking at the launch event for the CDC vouchers at Marine Parade Town Centre on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said that the vouchers are one of the key initiatives by the government to help Singaporeans manage cost-of-living challenges. 

The CDC voucher scheme was introduced in 2020 to help lower-income households defray living expenses, as well as to support hawkers and heartland merchants affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

It was later expanded in 2021 to include all households. 

In 2024, Singaporean households received a total of $800 worth of CDC vouchers — $500 in January and $300 in June. 

As of Dec 31, 2024, about 97 per cent of Singaporeans have claimed the CDC vouchers for the year. 

97.5 per cent of these claimed vouchers, worth more than $1 billion, were spent at participating businesses. 

"Thankfully, inflation has cooled in recent months and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, is expected to go down further," said DPM Gan. 

"Even though prices may not be rising as fast, we understand that Singaporeans remain concerned about cost of living. We have taken several measures to address these concerns, and we stand ready to do more to support Singaporeans."

In his speech, Gan noted that the launch of the vouchers is one of the CDC's first events in 2025 to kick off the SG60 celebrations. 

In celebration of the country's diamond jubilee, some heartland merchants will provide additional discounts and gifts to customers who use CDC vouchers at their stores. 

Some supermarket chains will also be running in-house promotions for customers using CDC vouchers to pay for groceries. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com

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