Reviewing Merchant Eligibility Criteria of CDC Voucher Scheme to Ensure Fairness for Small Businesses

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the Ministry will review the merchant eligibility criteria under the Community Development Council Voucher Scheme; and (b) what steps are being taken to ensure fairer and more transparent inclusion of small businesses.

The Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers Scheme was first introduced in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with two key objectives: to help Singaporean households cope with the cost of living; and to support hawkers and heartland merchants.

In line with the policy intent, our aim is to onboard hawkers and merchants in the Housing and Development Board (HDB) heartlands, such as those in the National Environment Agency (NEA)-managed centres and HDB heartlands, including shops which offer daily goods or services.

However, there are instances where few or no heartland merchants are found within or near residential areas. In such locations, we have onboarded, on a case-by-case basis, small businesses that provide goods and services needed by residents.

In 2023, we responded to residents' requests to further alleviate their expenses by widening the usage of CDC Vouchers to supermarkets. However, only half of the vouchers received could be used at supermarkets, and the remaining half were for use at heartland merchants.

This balanced approach meets both the needs of residents as well as supports our heartland businesses. The spend rate for the 2024 tranche of CDC Vouchers was 97%. In a January 2025 survey, 98% of residents responded that there were "enough participating merchants" near their homes to patronise and spend their vouchers.

To date, we have onboarded over 23,000 hawkers and heartland merchants on the CDC Voucher scheme. The CDCs will continue to work closely with key partners, including the Federation of Merchants' Association, Singapore, Heartland Enterprise Centre Singapore and various merchant and hawker associations, to onboard eligible merchants in the heartlands.

The Government remains committed to ensuring that the CDC Vouchers Scheme best serves Singaporean households and boosts our local businesses. We will continue to monitor and review its implementation from time to time, to ensure its reach and effectiveness.