As Singapore’s revenue authority, IRAS partners you to build a fair and inclusive Singapore. How do we do this? Through our tax collection which is used to fund public services.

In recent years, we also took on the role of disbursing grants to businesses for inclusive growth. Doing so ensures that jobs are preserved and the livelihoods of workers safeguarded.

 

Taxpayers’ interest is at the core of all that we do. We listen to you and improve our services so that paying taxes remain seamless and convenient – just the way it should be.

 

We are IRAS. Your trusted partner in nation building.

 

What’s it like working in IRAS?

Empowered, collaborative and ready to take on new challenges, our people are our greatest asset.

Jerome

JeromeSenior Manager
Compliance Strategy & Insights Division

Cynthia

CynthiaExecutive
Corporate Development Division

rebecca

RebeccaTax Specialist
Corporate Tax Division

Santhi

SanthiManager
Enforcement Division

Sinthu

SinthuManager
Goods & Services Tax Division

Mohamed

AsrilManager
Individual Income Tax Division

Philip

PhilipSenior Architect
Infocomm Division

Aloysius

AloysiusSenior Manager
Investigation & Forensics Division

Avril

AvrilSenior Manager
Property Tax Division

Choon Teck

Choon TeckDeputy Director
Revenue & Corporate Services Division

I joined IRAS through the SAS Business Intelligence and Analytics Program (BIA), which included a 6-month attachment at IRAS. I had such a positive experience that I decided to join IRAS on a permanent basis.

As a data scientist, I work closely with stakeholders to tackle tax non-compliance, improve service delivery and formulate evidence-based policies with machine learning techniques, using the data IRAS collects for tax administration purposes. I am also involved in driving IRAS’ Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy and evaluating the relevance of emerging AI tech to develop AI-enabled solutions for IRAS. There is never a dull moment as we are presented with new learning opportunities and challenges on a day-to-day basis. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the AI Apprenticeship Program at AI Singapore, which is a deep skilling course aimed at developing Singaporean AI talents. There, I gained hands-on experience building an open-source framework for computer vision inference.

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to work with great individuals and forward-looking leaders. I particularly enjoy the kampung spirit here! As a parent, flexible work arrangements, such as the ability to work from home a few days a week, allow me to better juggle my personal and work responsibilities. As a result, I am more present at home and at the workplace.

JeromeSenior Manager
Compliance Strategy & Insights Division

I handle the processing of monthly payroll for Permanent and Contract Staff, as well as students on Business Attachment with IRAS, to ensure staff get paid accurately and in a timely manner. We also take into account festival advances, during the months in which Lunar New Year, Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa fall.

Previously from the Finance & Procurement Branch, I have had a few job rotations - from working on payroll to accounts payable and to accounts receivable - before ending up in payroll again, but this time with the Human Resource & Capabilities Branch. The rotations have given me a broader understanding of finance, which helps with my work. I also wear a few other hats to assist my branch on various matters, such as IT and procurement.

In my line of work, I get to make a lot of friends. I am also happy to be in the IRAS Badminton Team as I meet people with the same interest. I have a few groups of close friends with whom I celebrate birthdays and have fun outings with :) Bosses also care about our well-being, and we can approach them when we face issues at work, and even in our personal lives.

CynthiaExecutive
Corporate Development Division

Previously from the Big 4, IRAS’ reputation as a people-centric organisation was what drew me to work here. As an Accredited Tax Specialist (ATS) with the Income Tax Policy Branch, I provide technical advice on income tax policy and work closely with the Ministry of Finance and economic agencies on policy reviews and implementation. A recent project that I was involved in is the facilitation of disclosure of company-related information for official duties which was announced recently in Budget 2022. I was part of the IRAS team involved in the cross-agency study initiated by Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNGDO). IRAS collaborated closely with SNGDO and other agencies on how IRAS could potentially share a wider set of prescribed data to support data-driven policymaking, operations and integrated service delivery.

Under the ATS scheme, one of the main highlights is IRAS’ Annual Tax Conference where we research and discuss selected tax topics. IRAS also invites guest speakers to give us better insight into trending topics such as wealth taxes. As an ATS, I’m given many opportunities to continually upgrade my knowledge through curated external training courses, which increases my technical competency and also enables me to share what I learn with my colleagues.

RebeccaTax Specialist
Corporate Tax Division

I started my journey with IRAS as a Temporary Clerical Officer. Fresh into the working world, I liked the environment and enjoyed what I was doing, so I decided to stay on as a permanent staff. As an enforcement officer, I take recovery actions against delinquent taxpayers. While doing so, it’s important that I demonstrate empathy, through understanding their situation and making case-by-case arrangements where possible, to assist these taxpayers in fulfilling their tax obligations.

Having been with IRAS for 15 years, I’ve seen myself grow with the organisation; IRAS has undergone vast transformation and at the same time, given me many opportunities. One example is my current role as a user representative, where I provide user requirements and conduct User Acceptance Testing to improve our enforcement system and processes. This has exposed me to a new area of work and has given me a better appreciation for the systems that support our work.

I’ve also had opportunities to be involved in community service with my colleagues, such as volunteering for Willing Hearts, Meals on Wheels and visits to old folks homes. I am happy to contribute back to the community, and proud to be part of the IRAS family!

SanthiManager
Enforcement Division

I am involved in the review and assessment of applications for GST registration and schemes. This includes working closely with our Investigation & Forensics Division and GST auditors to review GST registrants as well as identify and reject applications from non-bona fide businesses. To prevent the gaming of GST schemes for the import of goods, I also collaborate with Singapore Customs to identify discrepancies in scheme records.

Prior to my role in the GST Division, I reviewed cases of late payment and filing in the Enforcement Division. I was involved in projects that aimed to improve the tax clearance process. This includes projects that adopted a user-centric approach - by gathering feedback from different sectors of taxpayers to improve their experiences - and realigned system enforcement actions to accelerate tax recovery for revenue protection.

Although both my postings involve very different scopes of work and tax types, there has been the same joy working at these divisions. That’s because IRAS prides itself as an organisation that makes its employees feel like family! I have also recommended others to join IRAS as we have strong work-life integration practices. Pre-COVID, we had initiatives in place to promote family time. Post-pandemic, our new hybrid work arrangement allows us to better manage our work and personal commitments.

SinthuManager
Goods & Services Tax Division

My day-to-day work involves processing tax returns and finalising tax assessments for individual income tax. Having joined the public service in 1989, back when IRAS was still called the Inland Revenue Department, I’ve witnessed the extent of IRAS’ digital transformation over the years - from our early days, when we had to manually assess each tax return, to now, where rote work is automated and our time is freed up to focus on higher value work and more complex cases that require our expertise.

I’ve stayed on in IRAS as I find my personal fulfilment in the work I do and I’d like to think that my work makes a difference to the community and the nation! IRAS also has a very supportive work culture that encourages lifelong learning. I’m especially thankful for the support given by the organisation, in the form of time off and reimbursement of course fees, when I decided to upgrade myself and enrol in a part-time undergraduate programme to pursue my bachelor's degree in Business Studies.

AsrilManager
Individual Income Tax Division

As a security architect, I work with stakeholders to implement processes and technical solutions for IRIN, the ICT system underpinning Singapore’s tax administration. I’ve actually left IRAS not once but twice to try something different - but always came back again. Here’s why.

Firstly, management listens to different views and is open to new ways of working, which encourages creativity and improvement - especially in systems development. We also have the chance to learn and get creative with new and upcoming technologies that IRAS implements.

Secondly, we can try out different roles and develop our careers. I started out as a developer, but later became a delivery lead, team lead and also solution architect before landing my current role. As we take on larger responsibilities, we attend courses for soft skills such as negotiation, communication, etc. I’ve also visited a tax agency overseas to exchange ideas on new technologies and the digitalisation of tax services.

Lastly, the workload is challenging but reasonable and IRAS has a fairly flexible work-from-home policy – which means more time with my cats while they hang out with me as I attend meetings online :)

PhilipSenior Architect
Infocomm Division

I started my journey with IRAS as a tax officer in the Enforcement Division, involved in the recovery of outstanding taxes and doing data mining. Then, I had a short stint at the Corporate Tax Division working on high-risk Productivity and Innovation Credit Scheme applications before I was posted to the Investigation & Forensics Division (IFD).

Today, I conduct investigations into income tax, GST and stamp duty cases and assist in the prosecution of tax evaders. This involves conducting raids, interviews with persons of interest, obtaining information from third parties and sometimes even arresting suspects to uncover the full facts and determine whether any tax offences have been committed. It’s an interesting job that requires diverse skillsets unique to the role of a tax investigator, and that can only be honed on-the-job. To prepare us, investigation officers undergo a variety of courses such as investigation courses conducted by IFD and Home Team (Singapore Police Force), and the Defence Tactics Course by Singapore Customs, to name a few.

Beyond work and before being a dad, I was very actively involved in IRAS’ basketball and soccer groups. Now, hanging out with my colleagues after work for dinner and a game of billiards suffices and I’m thankful that I have good colleagues and supportive bosses journeying with me.

AloysiusSenior Manager
Investigation & Forensics Division

My day-to-day work revolves around determining the annual values of properties for property tax purposes. When I first started my journey with IRAS, I worked on assessments of high-rise residential properties and later went on to handle capital valuation with the Chief Valuer’s Office. Subsequently, I was involved in the assessment of retail properties, exemptible properties as well as specialised commercial and industrial properties. 

When the pandemic struck, I was part of the team tasked to review Rental Support Scheme applications. As this was a new scheme, we had to be agile in adapting and implementing what we had learnt to review the cases quickly and ensure that businesses received their payouts as soon as possible. 

These days, I’m involved in developing IRAS’ ICT system for the administration of property tax. This requires me to work closely with a cross-functional team, including consultants and vendors. Coming from a valuer’s background, I’ve had to pick up new system processes, system knowledge and tech lingo to contribute meaningfully to the project. The opportunities to explore different areas of work and have new experiences are why I stay on in IRAS. The learning and dare-to-do culture in IRAS makes it an interesting place. Plus, netball and basketball sessions after office hours have made IRAS not just a workplace, but also a place where I can do what I like, and make friends with like-minded colleagues. I am grateful and thankful for that!

AvrilSenior Manager
Property Tax Division

When the Enterprise Grants Management Branch was set up to better support IRAS’ new role as the Centre of Excellence for disbursing national grants to enterprises, I was rotated in for compliance work after 11 years of working in Finance. During my time in the Finance Management team, I was involved in an initiative to develop the Value-for-Money (VFM) framework and embed VFM culture in IRAS - which I truly believe is very important for every public organisation to possess.

Now, I lead a team which looks into anti-gaming and conducts end-to-end audits relating to enterprise grants. To prevent and detect the abuse of schemes, such as the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) and Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) Scheme, I work with policy owners, data-owning agencies and other stakeholders in designing schemes and compliance strategies to ensure a robust anti-gaming framework is in place.

Apart from the work, I appreciate the open-door communication policy and friendly colleagues, which have kept me going all these years!

Choon TeckDeputy Director
Revenue & Corporate Services Division

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