From Jun 1, all 15 town councils run by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) will raise their service and conservancy charges (S&CC) for flats, shops and offices, as well as market and cooked food stalls.
The adjustments are necessary for the town councils to keep up with the rising costs associated with maintaining estates, the town councils said in a joint statement on Friday (Feb 17).
To help residents cushion the impact of the changes, the S&CC increase will be phased over two years. The first tier increase takes effect on Jun 1 and ranges from S$0.50 to S$9 a month, depending on the flat type.
The second tier increase, with effect from Jun 1 next year, ranges from S$0.50 to S$8 a month, depending on flat type.
For commercial property owners and tenants, the first increase will range from S$0.09 to S$0.27 per sq m a month, while the increase for market and food stalls is between S$2.70 and S$23.00 per month. The second increase next year will be between S$0.05 to S$0.21 per sq m a month for commercial property owners and tenants, and between S$2.50 and S$17.50 a month for market and food stalls.
“The adjustments will enable the town councils to build up their sinking funds to replace old lifts, undertake essential cyclical maintenance and component replacements, and carry out the Lift Enhancement Programme. Expenditure requirements in these areas are significant and will continue to grow as our estates get older,” the statement said.
Previous Budgets have included S&CC rebates. Last year, rebates of S$86 million were handed out. S$85 million of S&CC rebates were handed out in Budget 2015 and S$80 million in 2014.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
