The CDC voucher scheme was first launched in June 2020 to help lower-income households defray their cost of living, and to support hawkers and heartland merchants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at a launch event at Marine Parade Town Centre on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said that post-pandemic, inflation remained high due to a combination of factors.
These included pent-up demand for services, geopolitical crises such as the war in Ukraine and supply chain disruptions.
“We therefore continued with the CDC vouchers scheme to help Singaporeans cushion the impact of rising prices,” said Mr Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry.
The scheme was expanded in 2021 to include all households.
Last year, households could claim two tranches of vouchers worth S$800 in total. These vouchers were valid up until Dec 31.
Almost all Singaporean households have claimed and spent their 2024 CDC vouchers, said Mr Gan.
A media release issued for the event stated that about 97 per cent of Singaporean households – including new households formed – claimed the vouchers last year.
Of these, more than S$1 billion – or 97.5 per cent – were spent at
participating hawkers, heartland merchants and supermarkets.
Overall, around S$1.6 billion has been spent since the launch of the digital CDC vouchers scheme in December 2021. A total of S$907 million has been spent at participating hawkers and heartland merchants, while S$689 million has been spent at participating supermarkets.
The vouchers launched on Friday were announced at Budget 2024 as part of the S$1.9 billion in enhancements to the Assurance Package, when then-Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Singaporeans would get more payouts to help with cost-of-living concerns.
He announced that households would get S$600 CDC vouchers, with half disbursed in June 2024 and the remaining half to be disbursed in January 2025.
Some of the supermarkets that participated last year also bundled their own promotions for customers who used CDC vouchers at their outlets.
This year, in celebration of SG60, some heartland merchants and hawkers will provide additional discounts or gifts for customers who use CDC vouchers at their stores, while some supermarkets will also have in-house promotions.
Those who encounter difficulties claiming the vouchers digitally can approach community centres or clubs and SG Digital Community Hubs for help.
Over the first two weeks of the launch, youth and student volunteers from institutions such as ITE College Central and Republic Polytechnic will assist at selected community centres or clubs alongside CDC ambassadors.
SG Digital Office’s Digital Ambassadors and Silver Infocomm Wellness Ambassadors will be stationed at community centres or clubs to help residents from Jan 3 to Jan 16, 2025.
On Friday, the People’s Association (PA) and CDCs also reminded the public to stay vigilant of scams, adding that claiming the vouchers does not require any bank applications or transactions.
Suspicious messages relating to gov.sg or CDC vouchers can be reported to the PA at 6225 5322 or the police at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness or 1800 2550 000.
