Tan Siew Hoon Pauline ("Tan"), 44, the sole-proprietor of Staffing Network which provides recruitment services, pleaded guilty on 30 July 2018 to five charges of understating her income without reasonable excuse for Years of Assessment (YAs) 2009 to 2013.

The court today sentenced Tan to pay a penalty of $344,522, which is two times the tax undercharged of $172,261, and a fine of $17,500. One other charge of failing to notify the Comptroller of Goods and Services Tax of her liability to be registered for GST was taken into consideration for sentencing.

Facts of the Case

Investigations revealed that Tan had only declared $444,633 in her income tax returns for YA 2009 to 2013 when the net income earned was $1,748,058. In addition, Tan did not notify the Comptroller of GST when the taxable turnover of Staffing Network had exceeded $1m in Year 2009.

Tan was the sole signatory of Staffing Network’s bank account and she personally managed and prepared the accounts of Staffing Network. She tracked the revenue payments from her customers, made payments for Staffing Network’s operating expenses and banked in customers’ cheques into Staffing Network’s bank account.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

IRAS takes a serious view of non-compliance and tax evasion. There will be severe penalties for those who either give incorrect returns or wilfully evade tax. Penalties for tax evasion can be up to four times the amount of tax evaded. Jail terms may also be imposed. 

Reporting or Disclosure of Malpractices

Businesses or individuals are encouraged to immediately disclose any past tax mistakes. IRAS will treat such disclosures as mitigating factors when considering action to be taken. Those who wish to disclose past mistakes or report malpractices that might indicate tax evasion, can write to:

Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore
Investigation & Forensics Division
55 Newton Road, Revenue House
Singapore 307987

Email: [email protected]

Cash Rewards for Informant

A reward based on 15% of the tax recovered, capped at $100,000, will be given to informants if the information and/or documents provided lead to a recovery of tax that would have otherwise been lost. All payments are at the discretion of the Comptroller. IRAS will ensure that the identities of informants are kept strictly confidential.

Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore