Taxman says no to 444 employers for job support payouts involving $10m; 4 cases referred to police

Singapore

THE Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) has denied close to S$10 million in Job Support Scheme (JSS) payouts, either partially or fully, to 444 employers.

Iras has also referred four egregious cases to the police for investigation, it said in a press statement on Friday.

Close to 2,200 employers were selected for review for the July 2020 JSS payouts, Iras said.

Employers under review will have their JSS payouts withheld until they are able to submit supporting documents to Iras to verify the authenticity and accuracy of mandatory Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions they made.

Their payouts will be adjusted or denied if there are issues found in the review.

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Egregious cases will be referred to the police. These cases include employers who submit false documents to Iras to substantiate their eligibility for the JSS.

As at end-September 2020, Iras received documents from and concluded the review of over 1,400 employers.

To date, close to 50 employers have voluntarily declared the incorrect mandatory CPF contributions that they have made for the employees. Their JSS payouts were adjusted before disbursement, Iras said.

Iras also received over 300 reports from whistleblowers on employers suspected to have abused the JSS.

Iras pointed out the severe penalties for any attempt to abuse the JSS. Other than having their JSS payouts denied, employers may be liable for the offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and also a fine.