Case and status
Ng Wee Kheng, proprietor of SME Grant Assist, was convicted of deliberate false income-tax returns for YAs 2015–2016. His consultancy helped customers prepare PIC claims, but the prosecution concerned his own taxable trade income.
Facts, amounts and outcome
Omitted income totalled S$1.28 million, causing S$246,992 of tax evaded. Ng pleaded guilty to two proceeded charges and received six months’ imprisonment and S$740,978 penalties. IRAS describes the penalty as three times the evaded tax; its rounded figures are preserved. Income earned by a consultant remains reportable separately from clients’ entitlement to support schemes.
Historical PIC conditions and abuse
The PIC case concerns genuine qualifying productivity expenditure and the applicable local-employee requirement. False invoices, inflated prices, sham purchases or listing people who did not work for the business do not meet those conditions. The release warns that claimants, suppliers, consultants and promoters may each be liable for their own conduct. Its discussion of PIC payouts and bonuses describes a historical scheme rather than an invitation to apply for a current grant.
Disclosure, reporting and rewards
IRAS encourages taxpayers to correct past errors and report suspected tax malpractices. The release says disclosure may be considered when deciding enforcement action; it is not a blanket promise of immunity. Where the release describes informant rewards, qualifying information leading to otherwise lost tax recovery may attract 15% of recovered tax, capped at S$100,000, at IRAS’ discretion. Informant identities are kept confidential. Use the official release links for its reporting and disclosure channels.
Official source
This report is independently written from the IRAS release dated above. Case status, policy announcements and historical figures refer to that release.
Read the complete IRAS release ↗