Overview of Exchange of Information on Request
Singapore endorses the internationally agreed Standard of exchange of information for tax purposes (also known as the “EOI Standard”). In April 2013, the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes ("GFTEI") affirmed through a peer review process that Singapore’s EOI regime is in line with the EOI Standard, both in terms of legal framework and implementation. EOI partners may make a request for information for tax purposes to the Competent Authority, Exchange of Information Branch, International Tax and Relations Division.
How EOI requests will be assessed by Singapore
In assessing whether an EOI request is valid and meets the EOI Standard, IRAS will rely on the Commentary on Article 26 (Exchange of Information) of the OECD Model Tax Convention and the Commentary to the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters on the interpretation and application of the EOI provisions. The Court of Appeal has also laid out the principles for EOI administration in Singapore.
IRAS will render EOI assistance only for clear, specific and legitimate requests that meet the EOI Standard and requirements in the Eighth Schedule of the Singapore Income Tax Act (PDF, 6KB). Taxpayers may make representations to IRAS to highlight any issues with specific requests, which IRAS will take into account when evaluating the requests. IRAS will make clarifications as appropriate.
How to make an EOI request to Singapore
EOI partners requesting for information will be required to provide information as specified in the Eighth Schedule of the Singapore Income Tax Act (PDF, 6KB) and are encouraged to use Singapore’s EOI format (DOC, 96KB) when making the request to ensure information can be provided in a timely manner.
We strongly encourage our EOI partners to send their requests to us via email at EOI@iras.gov.sg. This will enable us to attend to the requests more promptly. To ensure confidentiality, please encrypt the information request package using Winzip or PGP and provide us with the password in a separate email.