Undertaker Roland Tay charged with tax evasion, failure to register for GST

SINGAPORE — Undertaker Roland Tay Hai Choon, 75, famous for providing pro bono services to the poor and needy, was on Friday (30 September) charged at the State Courts with income tax evasion of $427,427 and failing to register for goods and services tax (GST) for his business.

Tay is accused of under-declaring his business income in his Personal Income Tax returns for Years of Assessment 2011, 2012 and 2013 to evade the tax amount.

He is also accused of failing to register for GST when the total value of his taxable supplies exceeded $1 million for four consecutive quarters. As a result, he is alleged to have failed to account for $286,963 in GST between 2010 and 2013.

He is out on $80,000 bail and the case will be heard again on 18 October, according to media reports.

In a statement after he was charged, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) said the offences were detected via a regular audit programme.

Warning of severe penalties for those who evade tax, IRAS said it will not hesitate to prosecute offenders, who face a penalty of up to four times the amount of tax evaded or up to five years' jail.

IRAS also encouraged firms and individuals to immediately disclose past tax mistakes, saying such disclosures will be treated as mitigating factors when considering actions to be taken.

Additionally, IRAS offers a reward based on 15 per cent of the tax recovered, capped at $100,000, to informants if the information provided leads to recovery of tax that would have otherwise been lost.

The maximum punishment for making a false statement in a tax return is three years' jail and a $10,000 fine. Offenders are also liable for a financial penalty of three times the tax undercharged.

For failing to register for GST, the maximum punishment is a fine of up to $10,000 along with a financial penalty of 10 per cent of the tax due from the date on which the business is required to register for GST.

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