Singapore
Corporate Tax Rate
New Startup Companies Pay Zero Tax*
Singapore government has declared a full tax exemption for newly incorporated companies.

To qualify, a new company must:
- Be incorporated in Singapore
- Be a tax resident of Singapore for that Year of Assessment
- Have no more than 20 shareholders throughout the basis period relating to that Year of Assessment
- All its shareholders are individuals throughout the basis period relating to that Year of Assessment OR start-up companies with corporate shareholders can qualify for the existing Start-Up Tax Exemption Scheme, provided that there is at least one individual shareholder of minimum 10% shareholding.
Corporate tax rates for companies that do not qualify for the new startup tax exemption

Facts on Singapore Corporate Tax
- Corporate tax is currently capped at 18% for 2009. As of 2010, corporate tax will be reduced to 17%.
- Singapore has a single-tier corporate income tax system, hence no further taxation on dividends paid out to shareholders.
- There is no capital gain tax in Singapore.
Tax Return Filing
The filing deadline for corporate income tax return is 31 October. Documents to be submitted are
- Tax computation
- Directors’ Report
- Form C
For more information on how to file your tax return, you can contact Asiabiz via email sales@asiabizservices.com or call our accounts specialist at (+65) 6242 6533.
Audit Exemption
There is a provision of audit exemption for small businesses. A company that meets one of the following conditions will be exempted from a tax audit.
- It is exempt private company, which means it has no more than 20 shareholders and its shares are held by individuals only.
- Its annual revenue is less than S$5 million
- It’s a dormant company
Industry-specific Tax Incentives
| Finance & Treasury Centre Co. | 10% |
| Fund Manager | 10%/exempt |
| Headquarters Co. | 10% |
| International Commodity Trader | 10% |
| Offshore Leasing | 10% |
| Oil Trader | 10% |
| Securities Company | 10%/exempt |
| Trustee Company | 10% |
| Arts & Antique Dealers | 10% |
| Asian Currency Unit | 10%/exempt |
| Insurance & Re-insurance Co. | 10%/exempt |
| Members of Commodity Futures Exchange | 10% |
| Pioneer/Incentive Co. | Exempt/Various |
| Financial Sector Incentive Co. | 5%-10% |
| Cyber Trader | 10% |
| Commodity Derivatives Trader (New) | 5% |
Did you know?
Singapore is not a “tax haven”, but does offer low taxes to encourage continual foreign investment. Singapore, with good governance and a sophisticated finance infrastructure, is the second-largest private banking center after Switzerland. It has a network of over 60 tax agreements with other countries and has been placed on the white list of Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development.
