Cabinet approved a change in the termite subsidy amount under the Termite Subsidy Programme.
Applicants with a combined household income of less than $30,000 will receive $2,000, down from the current $5,000.
Those with a combined household income of $30,000 and above will receive $1,000, down from the current $2,000.
Cabinet said the adjustment will allow more applicants to be assisted by the programme, which provides relief packages to eligible homeowners for repair and reconstruction works due to damages caused by AST infestation.
Government had allocated $2.9 million towards this in the 2025-2026 budget, on top of the $5 million that has already been spent when the initiative was introduced.
Assistant Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Sakiusa Tubuna, had informed Parliament in December last year that 807 households have received assistance through the Termite Control Assistance Programme (TCAP) over the past two financial years, with a total monetary value of $3,990,000.
According to data tabled in Parliament, 448 households were assisted in the 2023–2024 financial year, at a cost of $2,213,000.
439 households earning below $30,000 received $2,195,000.
9 households earning between $30,000 and $50,000 received $18,000.
For the 2024–2025 financial year, 357 households received assistance totalling $1,777,000.
353 households in the below-$30,000 income category received $1,765,000.
4 households in the $30,000–$50,000 bracket received $12,000.
