Support available for hawkers, consumers to cope with rising costs

Numerous measures have been rolled out to cushion the impact of inflation on households, with some of them being enhanced several times, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Finance Shawn Huang.

- Goh Yan Han

These include CDC vouchers, personal income tax rebates and targeted support for low-income households.

The Government set out these reassurances in Parliament on Nov 13 during a debate on a Progress Singapore Party motion that called for a review of the support for hawkers, so that Singaporeans can continue to enjoy good and affordable hawker food.

Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon also pointed to the various subsidies and grants in place to help hawkers cope with cost increases, as well as to incentivize them to raise productivity or go digital.

The Government is also continually monitoring the trends and needs of hawkers to improve the system and alleviate challenges, he added.

While acknowledging the rising business costs and labour challenges that hawkers face, several MPs who spoke during the debate also mentioned initiatives within their constituencies that help alleviate the cost pressures.

Here are some of the measures currently in place to support consumers and hawkers:

The Monetary Authority of Singapore has tightened its monetary policy many times, which has meant a stronger Singapore dollar and lower inflation. Inflation now has fallen significantly from its peak, and hawker food inflation has fallen compared with the earlier part of this year, said Mr Huang.

The Assurance Package has been enhanced several times since it was first introduced in 2022 to help Singaporeans cope with the rising cost of living. This includes CDC Vouchers doled out to Singaporean households every year since 2020. The number of participating hawkers in this scheme has also grown over time, he added.

The existing permanent GST Voucher scheme supports lower-and middle-income Singaporeans and households with their daily living expenses, which include food. The GSTV-Cash component of the scheme was also increased in 2023, noted Mr Huang.