Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong presented Singapore’s 2025 Budget Statement yesterday, outlining a comprehensive package of tax measures designed to strengthen the nation’s economic foundations. Key focus areas include enhancing technology and innovation capabilities, supporting enterprises, greening the transport sector, and recognizing citizen contributions.
The full Budget Statement is accessible on the Ministry of Finance (MOF) website: mof.gov.sg/singaporebudget.
Key Tax Highlights:
I. Business Tax Measures:
- Corporate Relief: A 50% Corporate Income Tax (CIT) Rebate for Year of Assessment (YA) 2025, subject to a minimum benefit of $2,000 for eligible companies.
- Internationalisation & Growth Support: Extension of the Double Tax Deduction for Internationalisation (DTDi) scheme and the Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) scheme.
- Capital Gains Certainty: Enhancement of upfront certainty regarding the non-taxation of companies’ disposal gains.
- Innovation & Employee Incentives:
- Introduction of a tax deduction for payments related to issuing new holding company shares under employee equity-based remuneration schemes.
- Introduction of a tax deduction for payments made under approved cost-sharing agreements for innovation activities.
- Land Use & Infrastructure: Extension and enhancement of the Land Intensification Allowance (LIA) scheme. Rationalisation of tax incentives for Project and Infrastructure Finance.
- Financial Sector Development:
- Extension and refinement of the Insurance Business Development (IBD) and IBD-Captive Insurance (IBD-CI) schemes.
- Introduction of an additional 15% Concessionary Tax Rate (CTR) tier under the Financial Sector Incentive (FSI) scheme.
- Introduction of a Listing CIT Rebate for new corporate listings on the Singapore Exchange (SGX).
- Introduction of an enhanced 5% CTR for new fund manager listings on the SGX.
- Introduction of a tax exemption for fund managers’ income arising from funds investing substantially in SGX-listed equities.
- Capital Markets Support: Extension and enhancement of income tax concessions for S-REITs and S-REIT Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs).
- Sector-Specific Incentives:
- Introduction of an Approved Shipping Financing Arrangement Award for ships and containers.
- Extension and enhancement of the Maritime Sector Incentive (MSI).
- Extension of the broad-based Withholding Tax (WHT) exemption for container lease payments to non-resident lessors under operating leases.
- Extension of the broad-based WHT exemption for ship and container lease payments under finance leases to non-resident lessors for MSI recipients.
- Scheme Sunset: The Venture Capital Fund Incentive and the Venture Capital Fund Management Incentive will be allowed to lapse.
II. Personal Tax Measures:
- Individual Relief: Provision of a Personal Income Tax Rebate for YA 2025.
- CPF Relief Adjustment: Cash top-ups that attract matching grants under the Matched MediSave Scheme (MMSS) will be excluded from CPF Cash Top-Up Relief eligibility.
- WHT Concession Sunset: The WHT concessions for non-resident arbitrators and non-resident mediators will be allowed to lapse.
III. Goods and Services Tax (GST):
- REIT Support: Extension of the GST remission for Singapore-listed Real Estate Investment Trusts (S-REITs) and Registered Business Trusts.
IV. Other Taxes:
- Green Transport: Introduction of an Additional Flat Component of road tax for electric Heavy Goods Vehicles and buses.
Source: MOF, 18 February 2025