Latest news with #lowincomehouseholds
Bloomberg
12-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Turkish Regulator Expands Scope of Retail Loan Restructuring
Turkey's banking regulator allowed more citizens to restructure debt as tight monetary policy hurts low-income households dependent on card spending. Retail credit card debt and consumer loans may be restructured with a period of as long as 48 months, the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency said in a statement late Friday. Citizens who failed to make periodic payments toward their card debt and those unable to repay the principal or interest on consumer loans can benefit from debt restructuring. People who previously have restructured debt are also eligible, according to the statement.
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Who is more likely to use air conditioners? Statistics Canada reveals survey results
A cat sleeps in an apartment window beside an air conditioner in Burnaby, B.C., on Aug. 5, 2023. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press) The summer heat is more likely to be a problem for renters and people with lower incomes, a new survey suggests. The survey, released Tuesday by Statistics Canada, found that renters had less access to air conditioners (52 per cent) than homeowners (76 per cent). Households with higher incomes, or those earning more than $150,000 before taxes, were more likely to report using an air conditioner at 82 per cent. Among households with lower incomes, or those earning less than $50,000 before taxes, 55 per cent had air conditioners. Use of cooling equipment, including air conditioning, during the summer rose slightly to more than two-thirds (68 per cent) of Canadian households in 2025 compared to 64 per cent in 2021. Moreover, if you live in a newer home, you're more likely to have an air conditioner. The survey found that 80 per cent of homes built in 2001 or later had an air conditioner, compared with 58 per cent of homes constructed before 1960. Statistics Canada used data from the Canadian Social Survey collected between Feb. 14 and April 6. It involved people at least 15 years old who live off-reserve in Canada's 10 provinces.
The Sun
01-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Full list of Universal Credit freebies and discounts you can claim in July worth up to £10,000
HOUSEHOLDS on Universal Credit can top up their incomes with freebies and discounts worth up to £10,000 in July. Around 7.5million people are on the government benefit but might not realise it comes with a host of added perks. 1 From cost of living cash to cheap days out, savings accounts and water bill help, it could be worth £1,000s. Here's the full list of help you can get this month. Household Support Fund - £300 The Household Support Fund is a giant £742million pot of money that's been shared between councils in England. These councils are in the process of allocating their share of the fund, with most distributing it to those on benefits, like Universal Credit, or low incomes. Birmingham Council is issuing payments worth £200 to cover the cost of energy, grocery and water costs. Cheshire West, Doncaster and Calderdale Councils are also sharing out help worth up to £300 to residents in need. Contact your local council to see what help is on offer. You can find your council via Healthy Start Scheme - £442 a year New or expectant mums can get up to £442 annually to cover the cost of fruit, veg and other essentials through the NHS' Healthy Start scheme. The scheme is open to those on certain benefits, including Universal Credit. Those eligible for help receive a prepaid card loaded with funds every four weeks. You can get up to £8.50 per week - worth £442 a year. Find out more via Cheap days out – save £101 You can get major discounts on days out if you're on Universal Credit. Here are some of the deals on this month: London Transport Museum: Entry for just £1 – usually £21 Yorkshire museums: Free entry, saving up to £17 per adult ZSL London Zoo: Entry for £3 – a £31.50 saving Tower of London & Hampton Court: £1 entry instead of £33.60 In total you could save up to £101 on these days out. Help to Save - worth £1,200 over four years People on Universal Credit can sign up for a Help to Save account and get a £1,200 bonus. You can save up to £50 into one of the accounts each month and get a 50% bonus at the end of your second and fourth year. Add the maximum £50 in every month and over four years you'd get a £1,200 bonus. Find out more via Water bill help – worth £400 Households on Universal Credit can slash their water bill through the WaterSure scheme. It's available to low income families or those who use lots of water due to disability in England and Wales and caps your bills at a certain amount. Contact your water supplier to see if you're eligible. Some water companies offer customers free water-saving devices like shower timers and cistern bags to bring usage down too. Free prescriptions and healthcare – up to £119 Those on Universal Credit can sometimes get free NHS prescriptions, which are currently £9.90 per item. Based on one item a month, that's a £118.80 a year saving. You can also get other NHS-based freebies if you're on Universal Credit. These include: Free dental checks Free eye tests Travel reimbursement for medical appointments Free wigs or glasses Use the NHS online checker to see what you can get. Discounted broadband and mobile contracts – worth £370 You should be able to sign up to a social tariff if you're on Universal Credit. The discounted tariffs are for those on certain benefits and, usually but not always, can save you money on your bill. One lady previously told The Sun switching from a standard tariff to a social tariff saved her £300 a year. Ofcom has a list on its website of all the firms offering the tariffs, either for phone or broadband. You can also use The Sun's free checker tool. Council tax support – up to £2,280 Those on Universal Credit can sometimes get money off their council tax, or even have the bill wiped completely. The help on offer varies from location to location, but based on the average Band D, which is £2,280, you could save £1,000s. Head to to check your eligibility. Energy bill help – up to £2,000 Energy firms like British Gas offer hardship grants worth up to £2,000 to those struggling with their bills. EDF also offers customers support if they're struggling to keep up with energy bills. If you don't qualify for a grant through your supplier, charity Turn2Us has a tool you can use to find grants available based on your location. You can find it via - Pregnancy grant – worth £500 Mums expecting their first child can claim a one-off £500 Sure Start Maternity Grant. It's available to those on Universal Credit or other qualifying benefits. You must apply within 11 weeks of the due date or six months after the baby is born. Find out more via Support with travel and job applications – worth £150 Claimants can get a Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount card, cutting public transport costs by 50% across the UK. The card lasts for three months and is free, you just need to be actively job hunting. There's also the Flexible Support Fund, which can cover costs like: Travel to interviews Job training (up to £150) Uniforms, work tools, and childcare Apply at your local JobCentre. Cheap gym memberships – worth £100s Some leisure centres offer Universal Credit claimants gym memberships from as little as £5 a month. Based on the price of the standard membership, it could save you £100s a year. Everyone Active and Better Leisure both offer discounted rates. Access is often off-peak and varies by location, so check with your nearest centre. Free childcare – worth up to £1,769 a month Working parents on Universal Credit can get up to 85% of childcare costs covered, either paid up front or in arrears. The maximum payout is £1,031.88 a month for one child, or £1,768.94 for two or more – that's over £21,000 a year if claimed in full. You can find out more via
Irish Times
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on EV sales: acceleration needed
Prices drive car sales. It's a self-evident truth, proven by numerous scrappage schemes, and the 2008 move to an emissions-based motor tax regime. So, a grant of up to €10,000 applied to electric cars would push the volumes towards the critical 16 per cent of vehicle stock, where research shows mass-market adoption is achieved. By the end of last year, Irish EV market adoption stood at 3 per cent. The proposed grant is one of the most eye-catching proposals in the Climate Change Advisory Council's latest annual review on transport. It cogently identifies the key hurdles to EV adoption: cost and charging infrastructure. On the cost side, it suggests a targeted grant scheme of up to €10,000, aimed specifically at lower income households in areas poorly served by public transport. However, the devil would be in the detail. Execution may prove complex, and administratively burdensome. Also, the range of new EVs within the proposed €35,000 price cap remains limited. Still, it reflects the need for innovative thinking. France, for example, offered 50,000 European-built EVs leased at €100 per month to low-income households. The scheme closed in January last year after just six weeks due to the high demand. Initially capped at 25,000 vehicles, subsidised to a maximum of €13,000 each, it had more than 90,000 applications. READ MORE For any consumer who finds an affordable EV option, the next big question is about charging. The report rightly highlights our poor performance compared to EU peers on public charging infrastructure. It identifies key sticking points, such as deploying neighbourhood charging for those without access to off-street parking. The council's review correctly identifies the key obstacles to EV adoption, and a €10,000 grant scheme, targeted at lower-income drivers, would supercharge sales. But without detail, infrastructure and swift Government action, the ambition may stall. Kudos to the council: now it's time for Government to move from recommendations to action.
Free Malaysia Today
24-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Indonesia to launch stimulus measures to boost spending
Chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto said the launch timeframe would provide momentum to boost purchasing power. (EPA Images pic) JAKARTA : Indonesia plans to announce economic stimulus measures on June 5 to revive activity and boost consumer purchasing power, hoping to push economic growth to around 5% this quarter, the coordinating ministry of economic affairs said on Saturday. 'These programmes are prepared to encourage growth by increasing consumption,' chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto said in a statement, adding that launching the measures before a school holiday starting in late June would provide momentum to boost purchasing power. Southeast Asia's largest economy grew 4.87% in the first quarter from the same period last year, its weakest in more than three years. The central bank trimmed its 2025 growth forecast to between 4.6% and 5.4% from a 4.7%-5.5% range. The ministry is still calculating the size of the stimulus package, which is meant to boost growth in the second and third quarters, a spokesperson said. The incentives include a 50% discount on electricity bills for around 79.3 million households and food handouts for 18.3 million lower-income households in June and July. The government also plans to give cash transfer for low-income workers and a discount on work accident insurance for workers in labour-intensive industries. To boost tourism, the government said there will be discounts on airfare, train and sea transportation rates during the school holiday, which runs through mid-July, and discounts on highway tolls for 110 million users in June and July, the ministry said.
