The new Permanent Secretary (Finance), Lai Chung Han, has been named chairman of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) board. The appointment will go into effect on May 1.
He will succeed Tan Ching Yee, who will soon retire as Permanent Secretary (Finance), after 38 years of public service.
In a media release on Friday, April 25, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) noted that Lai has held various command and staff appointments in the course of his military career in the Singapore Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence. Earlier, he had served as the Chief of Navy.
For the unversed, Lai was also Permanent Secretary (Education) and Permanent Secretary (Development) in the Ministry of Finance.
The ministry said, “The Ministry of Finance and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore welcome Mr Lai to the board and would like to express our deep appreciation to outgoing chairman, Mrs Tan Ching Yee, for her significant contributions to the IRAS Board.”
Tan led the IRAS board through the COVID-19 epidemic when corporation and property tax refunds were offered during her nine years as chairman.
“IRAS also expanded beyond its traditional role to become the Centre of Excellence for disbursing national grants to enterprises, swiftly implementing various grant schemes such as the Rental Support Scheme, Jobs Support Scheme and Wage Credit Scheme, to support businesses and workers,” MOF said.
It further stated that, under Tan’s direction, IRAS had also improved its IT systems and digital infrastructure, utilizing artificial intelligence to improve compliance initiatives and facilitate company tax filing.
