Deduction for payments made to lessees or licensees to mitigate impact of COVID-19 event
14ZF.—(1)  Each provision in the first column of the following table applies for the purpose of ascertaining the income of a person set out opposite that provision in the second column of the table, for the basis period for each year of assessment set out opposite that income in the third column of the table:
Provision
Income
Year of
assessment
Subsection (2)
Income derived by a person in the period between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2020 (both dates inclusive) from the leasing or licensing of any immovable property in relation to which a remission of property tax is given by the Property Tax (Non-Residential Properties) (Remission) Order 2020
2021 or 2022
Subsection (2A)
Income derived by a person (being the lessor or licensor of a prescribed property) in the period between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021 (both dates inclusive) from the leasing or licensing of the prescribed property
2022 or 2023
[Act 27 of 2021 wef 16/11/2021]
(2)  Despite any other provision in this Part, the following (whichever is applicable) is allowed as a deduction against that income for the relevant year of assessment:
(a)the amount in the form of monetary payments of any benefit (as defined in the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Transfer of Benefit of Property Tax Remission) Regulations 2020) of the reduction in property tax as a result of the remission that the person (being the owner of the property) is required under section 29(2) of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 to pass on to a lessee or licensee of the property in 2020;
(b)the amount in the form of monetary payments that the person mentioned in paragraph (a) has passed on or has agreed to pass on to the lessee or licensee of the property in the year 2020, and by reason of which the person is exempt from section 29(2) of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 under regulation 13(2) of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Transfer of Benefit of Property Tax Remission) Regulations 2020;
(c)the amount of any other monetary payments that the person makes in the year 2020 to the person’s lessee or licensee of that property, but only if the Comptroller is satisfied that the payments are intended to provide relief to the lessee or licensee from any economic hardship arising from a COVID-19 event;
(d)the total of the amounts in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c).
(2A)  Despite any other provision in this Part, the amount of any monetary payment made by the person in the year 2021 to the person’s lessee or licensee of the prescribed property, is allowed as a deduction against that income for the relevant year of assessment, if —
(a)the payment is made pursuant to an undertaking given by the person to his, her or its lessor or licensor, to provide relief to the lessee or licensee from any economic hardship arising from a COVID-19 event; or
(b)the Comptroller is satisfied that the payment is intended to provide relief to the lessee or licensee from any economic hardship arising from a COVID-19 event.
[Act 27 of 2021 wef 16/11/2021]
(3)  The total amount of deduction allowable under this section in relation to each lessee or licensee for each year of assessment must not exceed the total amount of rent or licence fee payable under the relevant lease agreement or licence agreement between the person and the lessee or licensee for the period between 1 January and 31 December (both dates inclusive) of the year 2020 or 2021 (whichever is applicable), or a part of that period, and falling within the basis period for that year of assessment, after taking into account any waiver or reduction of the rent or licence fee for that period.
[Act 27 of 2021 wef 16/11/2021]
(4)  In this section, “COVID-19 event”, “monetary payment”, “owner” and “prescribed property”, in relation to immovable property, have the meanings given to these terms by section 13ZA(6).
[Act 41 of 2020 wef 07/12/2020]
[Act 27 of 2021 wef 16/11/2021]