Redemption Rates of CDC Vouchers at Supermarkets and Small Businesses

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) for each of the past four years, what is the redemption or utilisation of the Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers expressed in terms of percentage at (i) supermarkets and (ii) small businesses; and (b) whether the Ministry can consider issuing a higher proportion of CDC Vouchers for use at supermarkets instead of other businesses.

Since January 2023, the Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers have been split equally between the hawkers and heartland merchant category and the supermarket category. This strikes a balance between supporting Singaporean households with their daily expenses and supporting hawkers and heartland merchants.

Across the 2023 and 2024 tranches of CDC Vouchers, more than $1.3 billion worth of CDC Vouchers have been spent. Of this, about 49.6% were spent at heartland merchants and 50.4% were spent at supermarkets.

Every Singaporean household can only claim one set of CDC Vouchers per tranche. Some Singaporean households might be unable to claim their CDC Vouchers for a variety of reasons. For example, when more than one Singaporean household resides in the same rental address or their registered address is not a residential address.

Singaporean households living in co-tenanted premises are not disadvantaged as long as they can provide proof of their separate households. In such cases, the household that has yet to claim their vouchers may make an appeal at any community centre or club.

If Singaporean households experience difficulty in claiming their CDC Vouchers digitally, they can bring along their National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) showing their current registered address, the CDC Vouchers Scheme notification letter and relevant official documents showing their name and current address, for example, utilities bill, property tax, to the nearest community centre or club to apply for their vouchers.

Under the Regulation 11A of the National Registration Act, all NRIC holders need to report a change of address within 28 days of moving into a new residence, whether the residence is located in or outside of Singapore. Singaporean households who come across previous owner or occupants who did not update their address with the authorities after they have moved out and have made false claims of the CDC Vouchers, may report the incident to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Police.

For CDC Vouchers Scheme 2024, as of 31 December 2024, 97%, or about 1.3 million Singaporean households had claimed their CDC Vouchers 2024 (January) and (June), which is the highest claim figures since the launch of the digital scheme in 2021. There remains a small group of households that did not claim. For example, households whose residents are living overseas. The CDCs continue to work on ensuring all eligible Singaporean households can claim and spend their vouchers by reaching out especially to digitally less-savvy residents.

The Government remains committed to ensuring that the CDC Vouchers Scheme best serves Singaporean households and local businesses. We will continue to monitor its implementation and review where needed to ensure its effectiveness.