Mobilizing Revenue: Digital Transformation of Revenue Administration in Singapore
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Publication Type:
Publisher:
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Publication:
June 2024
This brief shows how the strategy of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore to digitalize its services can help cut costs, improve support, and boost compliance.
In seeking to better support taxpayers and encourage voluntary compliance, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) has focused on improving tax administration by harnessing the opportunities presented by digitalization to deliver corporate goals. It has also shifted from thinking about service, facilitation, and corrective actions as separate processes. In pursuing opportunities, IRAS has been guided by its service mantra—No need for service is the best service. In a taxpayer survey conducted in 2023, IRAS obtained a high overall taxpayer satisfaction level of 98%.
This brief examines Singapore’s whole-of-government digital strategy and explains its measures to simplify tax returns and provide digital payment methods. Acknowledging Singapore’s high levels of investment, it shows how tax administrations across Asia and the Pacific can tackle infrastructure issues and harness technology to make their inland revenue systems more modern, effective, and efficient.
