Hawker stall assistant grateful for package as inflation bites

Mr Goh Seh Gek used to buy cans of oolong tea at the Boon Lay coffee shop where he works as an assistant at a roast meat hawker stall.

But he stopped that practice recently and now carries a bottle of drinking water with him when he goes to the stall to start his afternoon shift.

"Oolong tea costs $1.80 now. It's so expensive. It used to cost only about $1.20 at the coffee shop," said the 67-year-old, who earns about $1,500 a month. "And the roast meat stall is so hot I would have to spend a lot on drinks to quench my thirst. So I just drink water now."

Lower-income individuals like Mr Goh are the focus of a new $1.5 billion inflation support package announced last week.

In addition to a $100 household utilities credit for every Singaporean household, the package helps lower-income families and vulnerable groups through measures such as a tiered GST Voucher - Cash Special Payment and permanent enhancements to social assistance scheme ComCare.

Through this package, Mr Goh will receive the household utilities credit and a special payment of $300 under the GST Voucher (GSTV) scheme, which is meant to help those hardest hit by rising prices.

These are on top of the regular GSTV - Cash of $400, which was previously announced in Budget 2022.

Mr Goh also received $100 worth of Community Development Council vouchers last month, for use at heartland merchants and hawker stalls.

The vouchers were issued earlier than planned - they were originally slated to be issued in the second half of this year. The first tranche of $100 per household was distributed to all Singaporean households last year.

Mr Goh, who lives from pay cheque to pay cheque, said the pinch from inflation is tangible and he is thankful for the recently announced support package.

But with the goods and services tax (GST) due to increase from 7 per cent to 8 per cent next year, he is not sure how much the measures would help.

His one-room rental flat in Jurong is spartan, with four packets of instant noodles stacked on the top tier of a small shelf and boxes of pills for his various health conditions crowding the lower shelf.

In his mini-fridge is a can of beer - one of his few luxuries, alongside cigarettes - and a carton of orange juice.

As he works at a hawker stall, he tries to have lunch at the stall - which is free - to save on food expenses.

Mr Goh, who is divorced, said he does not buy household items often, and when he does, he uses them for a long time.

"I buy a set of new clothes only every year to celebrate Chinese New Year," he said, adding that he tries to be frugal.

With senior citizen concessionary fares, he spends about $60 a month on public transport, commuting to and from work.

He spends about $120 on rental and maintenance fees for his one-room flat.

He said he makes ends meet because he scrimps and saves, but does not have much in savings because of his medical bills. He has vision and heart issues, among other health conditions, and forks out about $200 every few months for visits to doctors.

He does not want to ask his two children for financial help or apply for other assistance programmes such as ComCare.

"(My children) have their own families to take care of. I don't want to rely on them," Mr Goh said.

"I'm happy if the Government wants to give more subsidies, but I don't want to jump through hoops to apply for aid because the application process is often tedious and confusing.

"I'm very fortunate to have a job at this age. So even though it's tough, I prefer to rely on myself and spend within my means."