Chee Hong Tat on making GST rules and processes simpler and clearer

GST was charged wrongly by Government agencies due to differences in the interpretation of the law. As such, the Government will simplify and clarify the rules and processes to provide greater clarity on regulatory fees where GST should not be charged. The Ministry of Finance will table a Bill soon to amend the GST Act to clarify the GST treatment for such fees and prescribe a list of regulatory fees where GST should not be charged. This will make clear which fees are regulatory in nature. Second Minister for Finance Chee Hong Tat said this in reply to Parliamentary questions on Monday (Feb 26). He said the Government is committed to upholding high standards of governance and integrity and will continually review and improve its processes. Mr Chee also said businesses or individuals who wish to appeal against the GST treatment for any Government fee can lodge an objection with the Comptroller of GST or an appeal with the GST Board of Review. If affected taxpayers are not contacted by agencies by Jun 30, they can reach out to the agencies to seek a refund. In cases where the affected company has been dissolved or the individual is deceased, agencies will make refunds to the Official Receiver and executor, administrator or Public Trustee respectively. The agencies should be able to refund the vast majority of the affected taxpayers, said Mr Chee. Unrefunded amounts will be considered part of the Government’s GST collections and broader tax revenue for nation building purposes, he added.