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IRAS board to get new chairman on May 1
The appointment takes effect on May 1.
He succeeds Mrs Tan Ching Yee, who will soon also retire as Permanent Secretary (Finance) after 38 years of service in the public sector.
In a media release on Friday (Apr 25), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) noted that Mr Lai has held various command and staff appointments in the course of his military career in the Singapore Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence. He was a former Chief of Navy.
He was also Permanent Secretary (Education) and Permanent Secretary (Development) in the Ministry of Finance.
'The Ministry of Finance and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore welcome Mr Lai to the board and would like to express our deep appreciation to outgoing chairman, Mrs Tan Ching Yee, for her significant contributions to the IRAS Board,' the ministry said. CONTRIBUTIONS TO IRAS
Over her nine years as chairman of the IRAS board, Mrs Tan guided the agency through the COVID-19 pandemic when corporate and property tax rebates were provided.
"IRAS also expanded beyond its traditional role to become the Centre of Excellence for disbursing national grants to enterprises, swiftly implementing various grant schemes such as the Rental Support Scheme, Jobs Support Scheme and Wage Credit Scheme, to support businesses and workers," MOF said.
It added that IRAS had also upgraded its digital infrastructure under Mrs Tan's leadership, leveraging artificial intelligence and upgrading its IT systems to enhance compliance efforts and make tax filing easier for businesses.
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