Compliance
Singapore Inches Out of Grey List, Amends Tax Law

Singapore has joined the worldwide fight against tax evasion by
passing an OECD-compliant amendment to its tax law Monday,
Reuters reports.
The revised bill reportedly allows the Singaporean government to
obtain client information from banks, particularly on individuals
with questionable tax activities. The increased transparency has
also been forecast to spur an exodus from clients in the Europe
and the Middle East into Asia, as they seek to decrease their
exposure to scandal-hit banks and take advantage of the region's
rapid growth.
"This enhanced scope of cooperation will not only allow Singapore
to provide greater assistance to its prescribed treaty partners,
but also help Singapore obtain information for the enforcement of
our domestic tax laws," Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam
was quoted to have said.
The amendment does not allow "fishing expeditions" and only
applies to countries which have signed treaties with the
city-state.
Singapore now has to sign just one more treaty to get out of the
OECD's 'grey list'.