On 12 April 2018, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) has issued/updated the following e-Tax Guides:
- Income Tax Treatment of Real Estate Investment Trust Exchange-Traded Funds; and
- Income Tax Treatment of Real Estate Investment Trusts and Approved Sub-Trusts (Second Edition).
The e-Tax guides were issued as a result of the announcement in Tax Budget 2018 that the tax transparency treatment for Singapore-listed real estate investment trusts (S-REITs) has been extended to Singapore-listed REIT exchange-traded funds (S-REIT ETFs) to achieve parity in tax treatment between a direct investment in an S-REIT and an indirect investment in an S-REIT through an S-REIT ETF.
The e-Tax guides contain additional clarifications on the extension of the tax transparency treatment to an S-REIT ETF.
Source: IRAS, 15 April 2018