Goods and Services Tax Act 1993

Goods and Services Tax Act 1993 2020 REVISED EDITION This revised edition incorporates all amendments up to and including 1 December 2021 and comes into operation on 31 December 2021 An Act to provide for the imposition and collection of goods and services tax and for matters connected therewith. [26 November 1993: Except paragraph (3) of the Fifth Schedule ; 1 April 1994: Paragraph (3) of the Fifth Schedule ] PART 1 PRELIMINARY Short title 1. This Act is the Goods and Services Tax Act 1993. Interpretation 2.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires — “account with the electronic service”, in relation to any person, means a computer account within the electronic service which is assigned by the Comptroller to that person for the storage and retrieval of electronic records relating to that person; “accountant” means a public accountant within the meaning of the Accountants Act 2004; “advocate and solicitor” means an advocate and solicitor within the meaning of the Legal Profession Act 1966; [Deleted by Act 33 of 2022 wef 26/04/2024] “authorised person” means any person acting under the authority of the Comptroller; “bare trustee” means a trustee who — (a) holds any goods, intellectual property rights or licence to use any intellectual property rights, on trust for the business of — (i) persons carrying on the business in partnership; or (ii) a person that is a club, an association, a society or an organisation; (b) has no interest in the goods, rights or licence other than that by reason of the office and legal title as trustee; and (c) has no duty to perform in relation to the goods, rights or licence, other than to act in accordance with instructions given by the persons or person (as the case may be) for any supply relating to the goods, rights or licence; “Board” means the Goods and Services Tax Board of Review established under section 50; “Comptroller” means the Comptroller of Goods and Services Tax appointed under section 4(1) and includes for all purposes of this Act, except the exercise of the powers conferred upon the Comptroller by section 5(2), a Deputy Comptroller or an Assistant Comptroller; [Act 5 of 2025 wef 09/03/2025] “computer” has the meaning given by the Computer Misuse Act 1993; “computer output” has the meaning given by the Computer Misuse Act 1993; “customs duty” means customs duty imposed on goods imported into Singapore under the Customs Act 1960; “customs territory” has the meaning given by section 3(1) of the Customs Act 1960; [Act 34 of 2021 wef 01/01/2022] “distantly taxable goods” means items of goods where — (a) at their point of sale or at such other time as may be agreed between the Comptroller and the supplier of the goods — (i) the goods — (A) are not dutiable goods; or (B) are dutiable goods, but payment or recovery of payment of the whole of the customs duty or excise duty chargeable on the goods is waived under section 11 of the Customs Act 1960; (ii) the supply of the goods is not an exempt supply under section 22 and the Fourth Schedule; (iii) the goods are located outside the customs territory; and (iv) each item of the goods has an entry value (determined in accordance with section 18A) that does not exceed the entry value threshold; and (b) the goods are to be delivered to a place in the customs territory by postal services or following an importation by air, and includes goods treated as distantly taxable goods under paragraph 4C of the Seventh Schedule; [Act 34 of 2021 wef 01/01/2022] “document” has the meaning given by the Evidence Act 1893; “dutiable goods” has the meaning given by section 3(1) of the Customs Act 1960; [Act 34 of 2021 wef 01/01/2022] “electronic record” has the meaning given by the Electronic Transactions Act 2010; “electronic service” means the system established under section 29 of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore Act 1992; [Act 33 of 2022 wef 26/04/2024] “entry value threshold” means the entry value threshold provided under subsection (1A); [Act 34 of 2021 wef 01/01/2022] “excise duty” has the meaning given by the Customs Act 1960; “free trade zone” has the meaning given by the Free Trade Zones Act 1966; “goods” excludes money; “import” has the meaning given by the Customs Act 1960; “invoice” includes any document similar to an invoice; “input tax” has the meaning given by section 19; “land” has the meaning given by the Land Titles Act 1993; “limited partnership” means a limited partnership referred to in section 3 of the Limited Partnerships Act 2008; “money” and “currency” include currencies whether of Singapore or any other country but does not include a collector’s piece, investment article or item of numismatic interest; “open market value”, in relation to a supply of goods or services, has the meaning given by section 17(5); “output tax” has the meaning given by section 19; “point of sale”, in relation to any goods, means the time at which an order confirmation for their supply is issued by the supplier of those goods; [Act 34 of 2021 wef 01/01/2022] “postal service” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Postal Services Act 1999; [Act 34 of 2021 wef 01/01/2022] “prescribed accounting periods” means such accounting periods as may be prescribed by regulations made under section 19; “quarter” means a period of 3 months ending at the end of March, June, September or December; “registered person” means a person registered under this Act; “registered (Seventh Schedule — full) person” means a taxable person who — (a) belongs in a country other than Singapore and is registered under this Act by virtue of — (i) paragraph 1A of the First Schedule; or (ii) paragraph 8(1)(c) of the First Schedule; and (b) is an approved person under section 28A; “registered (Seventh Schedule — pay only) person” means a taxable person who — (a) belongs in a country other than Singapore and is registered under this Act by virtue of — (i) paragraph 1A of the First Schedule; or (ii) paragraph 8(1)(c) of the First Schedule; and (b) is not an approved person under section 28A; “reverse charge supply” means a supply of distantly taxable goods or services treated as having been made by the recipient of those distantly taxable goods or services under section 14(2); [Act 34 of 2021 wef 01/01/2022] “Seventh Schedule supply” means any supply of goods or services of a type, and made (whether or not in Singapore) in the circumstances, described in the Seventh Schedule; [Act 34 of 2021 wef 01/01/2022] “specially authorised customs officer” means an officer of customs authorised under section 5(3)(b) to exercise the powers mentioned in that provision; “specially authorised officer” means an officer authorised under section 5(3)(a) to exercise the powers mentioned in that provision; “supply” has the meaning given by section 10; “tax” means goods and services tax; “tax invoice” means such an invoice as is required under section 41; “taxable person” has the meaning given by section 8(2); “taxable (Seventh Schedule) person” means a person who — (a) is a taxable person by virtue of paragraph 1A of the First Schedule; or (b) is registered under this Act by virtue of paragraph 8(1)(c) of the First Schedule; “taxable supply” has the meaning given by section 8(2A); “unit trust” means any trust established for the purpose, or having the effect, of providing facilities for the participation by persons as beneficiaries under a trust, in profits or income arising from the acquisition, holding, management or disposal of securities or any other property; “VCC Act” means the Variable Capital Companies Act 2018. [37/2008; 20/2010; 3/2013; 31/2014; 9/2018; 52/2018; 28/2019; 33/2019] (1A) For the purposes of this Act, the entry value threshold is $400, or such other higher or lower amount as the Minister may, by order in the Gazette, prescribe in substitution. [Act 34 of 2021 wef 01/01/2022] (2) The question whether, in relation to any supply of services, the supplier or the recipient of the supply belongs in one country or another is determined in accordance with section 15. (3) The terms “share”, in relation to a VCC, “sub-fund”, “umbrella VCC” and “VCC” have the meanings given by the VCC Act. [28/2019] (4) To avoid doubt, the term “company” includes a VCC. [28/2019] Digital payment tokens 2A.—(1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), a reference in this Act to a digital payment token is a reference to a digital representation of value that has all of the following characteristics: (a) it is expressed as a unit; (b) it is designed to be fungible; (c) it is not denominated in any currency, and is not pegged by its issuer to any currency; (d) it can be transferred, stored or traded electronically; (e) it is, or is intended to be, a medium of exchange accepted by the public, or a section of the public, without any substantial restrictions on its use as consideration. [33/2019] (2) A reference in this Act to a digital payment token does not include any of the following: (a) money; (b) anything which, if supplied, would be an exempt supply under Part 1 of the Fourth Schedule for a reason other than being a supply of one or more digital representations of value having the characteristics mentioned in subsection (1); (c) anything which — (i) gives an entitlement to receive, or an entitlement to direct the supply of, goods or services from a specific person or persons; and (ii) ceases to function as a medium of exchange after the entitlement has been used. [33/2019] (3) The Minister may, by order in the Gazette, do any of the following: (a) add to the characteristics, or modify or remove any characteristic, in subsection (1) of digital payment tokens for the purposes of this Act, whether generally or for specific circumstances; (b) add to the exclusions, or modify or remove any exclusion, in subsection (2). [33/2019] Meaning of “business”, etc. 3.—(1) In this Act, “business” includes any trade, profession or vocation. (2) Without limiting anything else in this Act, the following are deemed to be the carrying on of a business: (a) the provision by any club, association, society, management corporation or organisation (for a subscription or other consideration) of the facilities or advantages available to its members or subsidiary proprietors, as the case may be; (b) the admission, for a consideration, of persons to any premises. (3) Where a body has objects which are in the public domain and are of a political, religious, philanthropic or patriotic nature, it is not to be treated as carrying on a business only because its members subscribe to it, if a subscription obtains no facility or advantage for the subscriber other than the right to participate in its management or receive reports on its activities. (4) Where a person, in the course or furtherance of a trade, profession or vocation, accepts any office, services supplied by the person as the holder of that office are treated as supplied in the course or furtherance of the trade, profession or vocation. (5) Anything done in connection with the termination or intended termination of a business is treated as being done in the course or furtherance of that business. (6) Subject to any order made under section 10(3), the disposition of a business as a going concern, or of its assets or liabilities (whether or not in connection with its re-organisation or winding up), is a supply made in the course or furtherance of that business. (7) In subsection (2), “management corporation” and “subsidiary proprietors” have the meanings given by the Land Titles (Strata) Act 1967. Meaning of partnership and partner 3A. For the purposes of this Act, except as otherwise provided — (a) references to partnerships include references to limited partnerships; and (b) references to partners of a partnership include references to partners of a limited partnership. [37/2008]