DPM Gan Kim Yong at the Launch of CDC Vouchers Scheme 2026 (January)

Chairman of the Mayors’ Committee, Ms Low Yen Ling
Mayors Baey Yam Keng, Dinesh Vasu Dash, Denise Phua and Deputy Chairman of North West CDC Liang Eng Hwa
Grassroot Leaders
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning, and Happy New Year.

I am very happy to see all of you here on our first community event of the new year. And what better way to celebrate the new year than to launch the CDC Vouchers Scheme at this first event.

In fact, at last year’s Budget, the Government enhanced the Assurance Package to help Singaporeans cope with the cost-of-living pressures.

The CDC Vouchers are a key part of this Package. Last May, we gave each Singaporean household $500 of CDC vouchers. And from today, each household can claim another $300, valid until 31 December this year.  These vouchers will help Singaporeans with their day-to-day expenses, be it groceries, daily necessities or a meal out with their families in the neighbourhood.

Beyond households, the CDC Vouchers also play an important role in supporting our heartland economy. Half of the vouchers are set aside specifically for heartland merchants and hawkers, while the rest can be used at participating supermarkets. This ensures that wet-market stalls, coffee shops and small businesses in our neighbourhoods benefit from the voucher scheme. Today, more than 24,000 heartland merchants and hawkers are on board the CDC Vouchers scheme, together with eight participating supermarket chains. One example is right here at the Punggol Plaza Wet Market – Zaid Meat Store, a family-run, halal-certified butcher stall. Besides offering fresh poultry, beef and mutton at affordable prices, the owners take the extra step to guide elderly customers on the use of CDC Vouchers, a thoughtful gesture that is win-win for all. Since joining the CDC Vouchers scheme, Zaid Meat Store has seen a meaningful increase in their business.

This is what we hope to achieve through our CDC Vouchers scheme – support households; help local heartland businesses; and strengthen community ties.

The past year has not been an easy one, but thankfully, through the collective efforts of workers, businesses and the Government, we have emerged better than expected.

Based on advance estimates, the Singapore economy grew by 4.8% for the whole of 2025, on the back of strong performance in key sectors such as manufacturing, wholesale trade and finance and insurance.

Even so, we must be quite clear-eyed about the challenges that lie ahead of us.

Supply chains are reshaping globally.

Trade policies are becoming more fragmented.

Technology – especially AI – is transforming how businesses operate and how jobs are created.  

Growth in the coming years is likely to be more uncertain and more uneven.

This is why we set up the Economic Strategy Review to secure Singapore’s economic future, to create good jobs, uplift wages, and provide new opportunities for Singaporeans.

We will help our companies move up the value chain, and equip our workers with the necessary skills, adaptability and confidence to thrive in a changing economy.

This is long-term work that requires close partnerships between the Government, businesses, unions and our people.

And what we are doing here today complements this effort. The CDC Vouchers provide immediate assurance and practical support; while the ESR lays the groundwork for the future. Both go hand in hand.

I would like to thank our Mayors, our CDC teams, community partners, merchants and hawkers for your dedication and hard work in making this possible.

Let us continue to support one another, strengthen our communities and move forward with confidence and work together as one people.

Thank you, and I wish everyone a happy, healthy and fruitful year ahead.

Let me now say a few words in Mandarin.

去年，政府加强了定心与援助配套（Assurance Package），帮助新加坡人应对生活费的压力。邻里购物券就是其中一个非常关键的部分。

每个新加坡公民家庭已经在去年五月获得了500元的邻里购物券。

从今天起，每个新加坡公民家庭可以再领取另外300元CDC购物券。新一轮购物券的有效期为2026年12月31日。所以尽早地去提取。

无论是日常的食品、添置生活用品，或是在邻里用餐，这些购物券都能够帮助减轻国人的日常开销。

另外，邻里购物券也在支持邻里商店在这方面扮演着非常重要的角色。一半的购物券专门为邻里企业及小贩保留。这确保我们的菜市场摊位、咖啡店和邻里商店都能直接受益。至今，参与邻里购物劵计划的邻里商店和小贩已有超过2万4千家。另一半的购物券可以用在参与计划的八家连锁超级市场。

这正是我们通过邻里购物券计划所希望实现的双重目标： 一方面支持每个新加坡家庭；另一方面，也支持本地邻里商店；并且同时强化我们的社区凝聚力。

过去的一年的确不容易，但我们也在这个时刻展现了我国的韧性。

借着员工、企业和政府的共同努力，我们的经济表现超出了预期。

即便如此，我们不可轻看未来将面对的挑战。这也是展开经济策略检讨（ESR）的原因。

我们要确保新加坡的经济未来，良好的就业前景、更高的工资和就业机会，让新加坡人能够受益。

这需要政府、企业、工会和社区密切合作。

邻里购物券为国人提供即时且实际的帮助；而经济策略检讨则为新加坡的长远未来奠定基础。这是两者相辅相成。

我想借此机会感谢我们的市长们、我们社里会的团队、社区合作伙伴、邻里企业和小贩们。

感谢大家的贡献与努力，让我们能够成就这项计划今天所得到的成果。让我们继续相互扶持，增强社区凝聚力，团结一心，共同迈向未来。

谢谢大家，也祝大家在新的一年里身体健康、幸福安康。谢谢。