More than $255m in CDC vouchers spent, 95% claimed
SINGAPORE – More than $255 million in Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers has been spent since 2024’s tranche was launched on Jan 3.
Some $99 million was spent at participating merchants and hawkers, while the remaining $156 million was spent at participating supermarkets, said Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling in an update in Parliament on Feb 6.
She attributed this to the promotional campaigns rolled out by supermarkets to support all Singaporean households using vouchers to defray their expenses.
Responding to questions from Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), she added that 1.2 million Singaporean households, or 95 per cent, have claimed their 2024 CDC vouchers as at Feb 6.
All Singaporean households have been able to claim $500 in CDC vouchers since Jan 3. Half the vouchers can be used at supermarkets, while the other half can be used at hawker stalls and heartland merchants.
Singaporean households have until Dec 31, 2024, to claim and spend their CDC vouchers.
This initiative will benefit 1.27 million Singaporean households and cost $635 million.
Ms Low also shared that people can donate their unused CDC vouchers to more charities now – the number of charities has gone up from 270, when the scheme started in 2022, to 327, as at Feb 6, 2024.
“We want to welcome more to come on board,” said Ms Low, who added that the charities cover a gamut of causes from environment sustainability, arts and heritage, to the migrant community.
For the 2021 and 2022 tranches of CDC vouchers, 9,880 households donated close to $1.19 million to 245 charities. The top three charities sectors that received the highest amount of donations were healthcare-related charities, families and children’s charities, youth and children’s charities.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
