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.
2023 saw highest amount of vouchers claimed
Ms Low also provided an update on the 2023 CDC vouchers scheme, which she said saw the highest amount and percentage of CDC vouchers claimed, compared with the previous rounds.
In 2023, $300 worth of vouchers was given to each household, while $100 was disbursed in 2021 and 2022.
About 1.27 million Singaporean households, or 97.7 per cent, had claimed the 2023 CDC vouchers at the end of the scheme on Dec 31, 2023.
Of the vouchers claimed, more than $360 million, or 96.5 per cent, was spent at participating hawkers, heartland merchants and supermarkets.
“It is the highest (claim) rate but we always strive to improve... We’re very grateful that the CDC scheme has been widely used (and) well received by Singaporean households,” said Ms Low.
More charities on board for voucher donation scheme
She 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 and the migrant community to arts and heritage.
The donation scheme was started in 2022 because of feedback from Singaporeans who wished to donate their unused CDC vouchers to help others in need, she said.
For the 2021 and 2022 tranches of CDC vouchers, 9,880 households donated close to $1.19 million to 245 charities. The top three charity sectors receiving the highest amount of donations were healthcare-related charities, families and children’s charities, and youth and children’s charities.
The dollar value of 2023 CDC vouchers donated is not yet available.
