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A S$650 million support package will be disbursed to significantly affected sectors in Singapore as measures tighten around social gatherings yet again, the Multi-ministry Taskforce (MTF) announced in a virtual press conference on Sep. 24.

The sum will go towards rental relief and the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS), which provides wage support to employers to help retain local employees.

Wage support for employers

From Sep. 27 - Oct. 24, businesses in the following industries will received an enhanced JSS at 25 per cent, up from the most recent rate of 10 per cent:

• F&B
• Retail
• Cinemas
• Museums
• Art galleries
• Historical sites
• Family entertainment
• Tourism
• Gyms and fitness studios
• Performing arts
• Arts education

Two-week rental waiver

The government will also provide a two-week rental waiver for qualifying tenants on government-owned commercial properties.

Qualifying tenant-occupiers and owner-occupiers of privately-owned commercial properties will similarly be given a two-week rental relief cash payout under the Rental Support Scheme (RSS).

This includes small and medium enterprises, and eligible non-profit organisations with an annual revenue not exceeding $100 million, who are on qualifying commercial properties.

More details on the RSS will be made available on the Inland Revenue Authority Singapore (IRAS) website.

Hawkers and drivers

Similarly, cooked food and market stallholders in centres managed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) or NEA-appointed operators will receive a two-week rental waiver as well.

For taxi and private hire car drivers, the Covid-19 Driver Relief Fund payout will be extended at S$10 and S$5 per vehicle per day in Oct. and Nov. 2021 respectively.

The S$650 million will be drawn from the "higher-than-expected" revenues collected to date, MTF added. There will be no further draw on past reserves.

Top image by Mandy How