4.—(1) Subject to this regulation and regulation 7, tax shall be payable at the rate of 10% on the income of a financial sector incentive (standard tier) company derived on or after 1st January 2004 from any of the following activities:(a) | where the financial sector incentive (standard tier) company is a bank licensed under the Banking Act (Cap. 19) or a merchant bank approved under section 28 of the Monetary Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 186) —(i) | granting loans, other than by way of bonds or debentures, in any foreign currency, the repayment of which is not in Singapore currency; | (ii) | trading in secondary loans in any foreign currency, the repayment of which is not in Singapore currency; | (iii) | transactions in any foreign currency with any bank or branch office in respect of any of the following:(A) | placement of funds; | (B) | bankers’ acceptances on bills relating to trade transactions; | (C) | bills relating to trade transactions; | (D) | negotiable certificates of deposit; |
| (iv) | opening, advising or confirming of letters of credit denominated in any foreign currency relating to trade transactions; | (v) | financing or re-financing of trade transactions with or without letters of credit denominated in any foreign currency; | (vi) | providing guarantees, performance bonds, standby letters of credit and services relating to remittances denominated in foreign currencies; and | (vii) | providing services to any non-resident holder of a credit or charge card, in connection with the use of the card, where —(A) | the billing for the transactions for which the card is used is denominated in any foreign currency; | (B) | the card is used outside Singapore for the purposes of making payments to a person outside Singapore who is neither resident in Singapore nor a permanent establishment in Singapore; and | (C) | the payments for such services to the financial sector incentive (standard tier) company are not borne, directly or indirectly, by a person resident in Singapore or a permanent establishment in Singapore, except in respect of any business carried on outside Singapore through a permanent establishment outside Singapore; |
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| (b) | trading in any debt securities; | (c) | arranging, managing, underwriting, selling or investing in qualifying debt securities; | (d) | arranging, managing, underwriting, selling, investing in or providing services (including services as a broker, nominee or custodian) in respect of foreign debt securities; | (e) | granting loans of foreign debt securities under securities lending arrangements in writing; | (f) | arranging, managing, underwriting, selling or providing other services (including services as a broker, nominee or custodian) in respect of foreign equity securities; | (g) | granting loans of foreign equity securities under securities lending arrangements in writing; | (h) | foreign exchange transactions; | (i) | providing services as an intermediary in connection with transactions relating to derivatives; | (j) | trading in derivatives; | (k) | transactions in gold bullion, silver bullion or platinum bullion; | (l) | managing the funds of a foreign investor for the purpose of any designated investment, or providing investment advisory services to a foreign investor in respect of designated investments, where the payments for the services are not borne, directly or indirectly, by a person resident in Singapore or by a permanent establishment in Singapore; | (m) | arranging, on behalf of a foreign investor, any loan of designated securities under a securities lending arrangement in writing to another financial sector incentive (standard tier) company or a financial sector incentive (fund management) company, where the payments for the services are not borne, directly or indirectly, by a person resident in Singapore or by a permanent establishment in Singapore; | (n) | providing advisory services relating to financial matters (other than investment advisory services in respect of fund management); | (o) | providing trustee or custodian services in its capacity as a trustee of a relevant foreign trust, where the payments for the services are not borne, directly or indirectly, by a person resident in Singapore or by a permanent establishment in Singapore; | (p) | providing trustee or custodian services for or on behalf of any unit trust the trust fund of which is a foreign investor and the funds of which are invested in designated investments, where the payments for the trustee or custodian services are not borne, directly or indirectly, by a person resident in Singapore or by a permanent establishment in Singapore; | (q) | providing custodian services for or on behalf of any foreign mutual fund corporation, the funds of which are invested in designated investments, where the payments for the custodian services are not borne, directly or indirectly, by a person resident in Singapore or by a permanent establishment in Singapore; | (r) | providing trustee services in respect of foreign bond or loan stock issues, including services for monitoring loan covenants and administering loan repayments, where the payments for the services are not borne, directly or indirectly, by a person resident in Singapore or by a permanent establishment in Singapore; | (s) | providing trust management or administration services to any trustee of a relevant foreign trust, where the payments for the services are not borne, directly or indirectly, by a person resident in Singapore or by a permanent establishment in Singapore; | (t) | trading, on or after 27th February 2004, in secondary loans in any foreign currency, the repayment of which is not in Singapore currency. |
(1A) Section 43N(2) of the Act and regulation 7 of the Income Tax (Concessionary Rate of Tax or Exemption for Income Derived from Debt Securities) Regulations (Rg 32) shall apply, with the necessary modifications, to paragraph (1) in respect of the activity of investing in qualifying debt securities under sub-paragraph (c) of that paragraph. [S 260/2006 wef 11/05/2006] |
(1B) For the purposes of paragraph (1A) —(a) | the reference in section 43N(2) of the Act to the application of section 43N (1)(a), (aa) or (ab) of the Act; and | (b) | a reference in regulation 7 of the Income Tax (Concessionary Rate of Tax or Exemption for Income Derived from Debt Securities) Regulations to the application of the concessionary rate of tax referred to in regulation 3(aa), (ab) or (ac) of those Regulations, |
shall each be read as a reference to the application of the rate of tax under paragraph (1). |
[S 260/2006 wef 11/05/2006] |
(2) For the purposes of determining the tax payable under paragraphs (1), (2A), (2B) (2D) —(a) | any income which is derived from the granting of loans referred to in paragraphs (1)(g) and (2A)(a), and which comprises Singapore dividends from which tax is deducted or deductible under section 44 of the Act, shall be excluded; and | (b) | the qualifying base shall be deducted from the income or loss derived from the activities specified in paragraphs (1), (2A), (2B) (2D) . |
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(2A) Subject to this regulation, tax shall be payable at the rate of 10% on the income of a financial sector incentive (standard tier) company, derived on or after 18th February 2005 but before 1st January 2009, from —(a) | granting any loan of any debt and equity securities under a securities lending or repurchase arrangement, other than a loan of —(i) | foreign debt securities; | (ii) | foreign equity securities; or | (iii) | stocks and shares of any company resident in Singapore which are not listed on any stock exchange in Singapore or elsewhere; or |
| (b) | arranging any loan of any debt and equity securities under a securities lending or repurchase arrangement, other than —(i) | arranging a loan of stocks and shares of any company resident in Singapore which are not listed on any stock exchange in Singapore or elsewhere; or | (ii) | arranging, on behalf of a foreign investor, a loan of designated securities to another financial sector incentive (standard tier) company or a financial sector incentive (fund management) company, where payment for the arrangement of the loan is not borne, directly or indirectly, by a person resident in Singapore or by a permanent establishment in Singapore. [S 260/2006 wef 18/02/2005] |
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(2B) Subject to this regulation, tax shall be payable at the rate of 10% on the income of a financial sector incentive (standard tier) company which is an approved start-up fund manager, derived during a period of 12 months from the date of the incorporation, by that company, of a fund in the form of a company not resident in Singapore, from —(a) | managing the funds of the second-mentioned company for the purpose of any designated investment; | (b) | providing investment advisory services to the second-mentioned company in respect of designated investments; or | (c) | arranging, on behalf of the second-mentioned company, any loan of designated securities under a securities lending arrangement in writing to another financial sector incentive (standard tier) company or a financial sector incentive (fund management) company, |
(i) | the second-mentioned company was incorporated at any time between 18th February 2005 and 17th February 2010 (both dates inclusive); | (ii) | the date of incorporation of the second-mentioned company is stated in its charter, statute or memorandum and articles or other instrument constituting it or defining its constitution; | (iii) | at the date of incorporation of the second-mentioned company, the first-mentioned company was already an approved start-up company; | (iv) | the second-mentioned company has been managed by the first-mentioned company since the date of incorporation of the second-mentioned company; and | (v) | the second-mentioned company was not incorporated with the avoidance or reduction of tax chargeable under the Act as its main purpose or one of its main purposes. [S 260/2006 wef 18/02/2005] |
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(2C) Subject to this regulation, tax shall be payable at the rate of 10% on the income of a financial sector incentive (standard tier) company which is an approved start-up fund manager, derived during a period of 12 months from the date of the constitution, by that company, of a trust fund, from —(a) | managing the funds of the trust fund for the purpose of any designated investment; | (b) | providing investment advisory services to the trust fund in respect of designated investments; or | (c) | arranging, on behalf of the trust fund, any loan of designated securities under a securities lending arrangement in writing to another financial sector incentive (standard tier) company or a financial sector incentive (fund management) company, |
(i) | the trust fund was constituted at any time between 18th February 2005 and 17th February 2010 (both dates inclusive); | (ii) | the date of constitution of the trust fund is stated in the relevant trust instrument; | (iii) | at the date of constitution of the trust fund, the company was already an approved start-up company; | (iv) | the trust fund has been managed by that company since the constitution of that trust fund; and | (v) | the trust fund was not constituted with the avoidance or reduction of tax chargeable under the Act as its main purpose or one of its main purposes. [S 260/2006 wef 18/02/2005] |
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(2D) Subject to this regulation and regulation 7, tax shall be payable at the rate of 10% on the income of a financial sector incentive (standard tier) company, derived on or after 17th February 2006 from any of the following activities:(a) | managing the funds of an approved company for the purpose of any designated investments; | (b) | providing investment advisory services to an approved company in respect of any designated investments. [S 586/2008 wef 17/02/2006] |
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(3) The qualifying base shall be subject to tax at the rate of tax under section 43(1)(a) of the Act and, where the qualifying base is a loss, shall be deducted from the income subject to tax at the rate of tax under that provision. |
(4) In this regulation —“qualifying base” means the amount calculated by multiplying the specified income or the specified loss, as the case may be, by the initial qualifying base percentage or subsequent qualifying base percentage, as the case may be, determined under regulation 10; |
“specified income” or “specified loss” means the aggregate of the following: (a) | interest income from the activities specified in paragraph (1), after deducting any interest expense allowable under the Act which is attributable to such interest income; | (b) | all fees, commissions and other income from the activities specified in paragraphs (1), (2A), (2B)and (2C) (2D), after deducting any direct expense allowable under the Act which is attributable to such fees, commissions or other income; and | (c) | profits or loss from the disposal of equity securities, debt securities or secondary loans specified in paragraph (1), after deducting any specific provision allowable under the Act for the diminution in value of such securities or loans, and adding any taxable specific provision for diminution in value of such securities or loans which is written back. |
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