Case Study:

Henry told us in his guide to the Institutional Framework of Taxation in Australia that the Australian Taxation System is one of the most complex in the world and is made up of approximately 125 taxes including taxes such as Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Fringe Benefits Tax and Goods and Services Tax.  He also mentioned that there are many different organizations that play different and important roles within this system to ensure its integrity and that all Australians are treated equally and with equity.

The Australian Taxation System is embedded in the way of life for all Australian taxpayers. We pay tax on our income, we pay tax when we purchase goods and use services, and we pay tax when we sell assets, to name a few. In return, the Government provides public services and benefits e.g. hospitals, schools, defense, and financial assistance to those in need, etc.

As we know the government relies heavily on the revenue from taxation to be able to finance its activities and the services it offers to the public.  As such, reforms and reviews on taxation are often the focus of the Australian government.

This also can apply to other countries as well who use their taxation systems to ensure the smooth running of their countries finances and to assist the country in times of need. This was clearly evident in the recent Covid-19 crisis where many businesses and individual taxpayers had to be assisted by their governments and a lot of assistance came from taxation authorities.

Your task will be to look at this topical area of taxation and to comply with the instructions below.

Required

This assessment requires you to comment and offer your opinion on how the Singaporean Government and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore assisted both businesses and taxpayers during the Covid-19 crisis.

There are 2 parts to this assessment

Part One

Review traditional and online media (i.e. newspapers, reputable online news sites, etc.)in your country (SINGAPORE)that discuss what assistance was provided by the government and IRAS during the crisis or a sufficiently related topic.

You need to find 10 articles that relate to the topic/s above. These articles need to be attached and submitted with your assignment. The articles should be from the years 2019/2020 only.

If you do not have access to actual newspapers then you may use the Factiva Database within the Curtin Library.  A factsheet on how to use this database and a short video presentation is included in the assessment link for this assignment on the Blackboard.

You may also use online news sources.

Importantly, the articles must be scanned or saved as PDF files and uploaded to the Blackboard in the appropriate area within the assessment tab.

Part Two

After reading the articles and exploring the issue in more detail you will need to write an essay, of no more than 2,500 words, exploring:

How the Singaporean Government and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore assisted both businesses and taxpayers during the Covid-19 crisis.

In your essay, you should address questions such as:

1. What type of assistance was given to the taxpayers?
2. In your opinion, did the Government act swiftly enough?
3. In your opinion, was the assistance enough, or could the Government have provided more?
4. Who benefited the most from the assistance provided and who missed out?
5. Overall do you think the assistance was effective?

Formal requirements

Part two requires you to produce a 2500 word essay on the above points and to express your opinion of this topic which should be based on your findings from the articles you have collected and any other research you may want to undertake.