Publication Type

Case note/Digest

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

3-2021

Abstract

Wee Teng Yau represents the first case on tax avoidance by professionals to come before the Supreme Court. This note attempts to reconcile the judgments of the High Court and the Income Tax Board of Review, which both made findings that the taxpayer had engaged in tax avoidance, but which approached the case rather differently on some points. Apart from a clear rejection of the “personal exertion” principle as having no legal basis under Singapore law, it appears that the common conclusion is that professionals incorporating a company would not constitute tax avoidance in itself, but if this was coupled with the paying of an artificially low level of remuneration to the same practicing professional, this might well constitute tax avoidance.

Keywords

Tax Law, Tax Avoidance, GAAR

Discipline

Asian Studies | Tax Law

Research Areas

Corporate, Finance and Securities Law

Publication

Singapore Journal of Legal Studies

First Page

1

Last Page

11

ISSN

0218-2173

Publisher

National University of Singapore

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