On 21/05/2013,
you requested for the version in force on 21/05/2013
incorporating all amendments published on or before 21/05/2013.
The closest version currently available is that of 01/01/2008.
6.
—(1) Every person having any official duty or being employed in the administration of this Act shall regard and deal with all documents, information, returns, assessment lists and copies of such lists relating to the income or items of the income of any person, as secret and confidential, and shall make and subscribe a declaration in the form prescribed to that effect before the Comptroller or a Magistrate.
(2) Every person having possession or control over any documents, information, returns, assessment lists or copies of such lists relating to the income or items of income of any person, who at any time otherwise than for the purpose of this Act or with the express authority of the President —
(a)
communicates or attempts to communicate such information or anything contained in such documents, returns, lists or copies to any person; or
(b)
suffers or permits any person to have access to any such information or to anything contained in such documents, returns, lists or copies,
shall be guilty of an offence.
(3) No person appointed under, or employed in carrying out, the provisions of this Act shall be required to produce in any court any return, document or assessment, or to divulge or communicate to any court any matter or thing coming under his notice in the performance of his duties under this Act except as may be necessary for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this Act, or in order to institute a prosecution, or in the course of a prosecution, for any offence committed in relation to income tax.
(4) The obligation as to secrecy imposed by this section shall not prevent the disclosure to the authorised officers of the government of any other country of such facts as may be necessary —
(a)
to enable the proper relief from income tax to be given in either country, where provision exists for the granting of relief in respect of taxes paid in the other country; or
(b)
for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion in either country, where an arrangement under section 49 is in operation between the government of that country and the Government of Singapore.
(5) Notwithstanding anything in this section, the Comptroller shall permit the Minister, the Auditor-General or any officer duly authorised in that behalf by the Auditor-General to have such access to any records or documents as may be necessary for the performance of his official duties.
(6) The Minister, the Auditor-General or any such officer shall be deemed to be a person employed in carrying out the provisions of this Act for the purposes of this section.
(7) Notwithstanding anything in this section, the Comptroller may transmit any document, information or return received by him or in his possession under this Act to the Commissioner of Estate Duties; and the Commissioner of Estate Duties may, notwithstanding anything contained in any written law for the time being in force in Singapore relating to the proof of documents, produce or cause to be produced in any court, in any proceedings relating to estate or death duties, a copy of any particulars contained in any document or return so transmitted, certified by him or on his behalf to be a correct copy of such particulars.
(8) For the purposes of subsection (7), the Commissioner of Estate Duties —
(a)
may produce or cause to be produced the original of any such document or return in any case where it is necessary to prove the handwriting or the signature of the person who wrote, made, signed or furnished such document or return, but only for the purpose of such proof;
(b)
shall not in any case be compelled to produce in any court either the original of such document or return or a copy of any particulars contained in such document or return.
(9) Notwithstanding anything in this section, the Comptroller may transmit to the Comptroller of Property Tax, the Comptroller of Goods and Services Tax, the Chief Assessor or the Commissioner of Stamp Duties any information which may be required by any of them in the performance of his duties, or may permit such access to any records or documents as may be necessary for those purposes.
[1/88; 31/93]
(10) Notwithstanding anything in this section, the Comptroller may furnish to the Chief Executive Officer of the Central Provident Fund Board any information which may be required by him in the performance of his duties, or may permit such access to any records or documents as may be necessary for that purpose.
(10A) Notwithstanding anything in this section, the Comptroller may, for the purpose of enabling the Chief Statistician to perform his duties under the Statistics Act (Cap. 317), furnish and permit the Chief Statistician access to any information and records prescribed in rules made under section 7.
[16/2004]
(11) Notwithstanding anything in this section, the Comptroller may lay a complaint of professional misconduct against any person in his professional dealings with the Comptroller to the appropriate authority empowered to take disciplinary action against the person and may in connection with the complaint furnish any relevant documents or information.
[4/75]
(12) Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2) and without prejudice to subsections (5) to (11), the Comptroller may disclose information relating to the income or items of income of any person to any of the following with the express consent of the person to whom the information relates:
(a)
to any public officer or officer of a statutory board for the performance of his official duties in administering or facilitating the administration of any written law or public scheme; or
(b)
to any other person who is engaged by the Government or a statutory board to facilitate the administration of such written law or public scheme, if the Comptroller has obtained a written undertaking from the other person that he shall be bound by the same obligations as to secrecy imposed by subsections (1), (2) and (3).
[53/2007]
(13) Notwithstanding anything in this section, the Comptroller may furnish to the Government or any statutory board for any statistical or research purpose any information relating to any person in a manner that does not identify, and is not reasonably capable of being used to identify, that person.
[53/2007]