By Anas Abu Hassan
SINGAPORE, April 7 (Bernama) -- The Singapore government will provide close to S$1 billion (S$1=RM3.13) in additional support to help Singaporeans manage the impact of the West Asia conflict, said Acting Minister of Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow.
He said the additional support is on top of the measures announced in Budget 2026 to help mitigate cost pressures and support those who are most affected by the ongoing conflicts.
"To fund these measures, the government will initially work within the amount approved in the Supply Act last month in the first instance, and seek Parliament’s approval for the supplementary budget later on," he said in a ministerial statement on the impact of West Asia situation on Singapore in Parliament, Tuesday.
Among the additional measures announced, the government will bring forward the disbursement of the Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers announced in Budget 2026.
All Singaporean households will be receiving the S$500 CDC Vouchers in June 2026 instead of January 2027, which will be valid until Dec 31, 2027.
In addition, Singapore will also enhance the cost-of-living (COL) special payment by S$200 for about 2.4 million eligible Singaporeans, totalling between S$400 and S$600 in cash in September 2026.
Siow said the government will also provide cash relief for platform workers and taxi drivers of S$200 from end-April 2026.
Additionally, the government will provide temporary assistance to co-fund cost increases for certain essential transport services for school students, seniors, and persons with disabilities, to enable them to continue operating without disruption.
Meanwhile, more than one million Singaporean HDB households will receive up to S$190 worth of U-Save rebates in April and July 2026.
These rebates will help to defray the much sharper increase in households’ utility bills expected from April to June and July to September 2026, Siow added.
-- BERNAMA
