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Zuo Ci
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May 26, 2011
Eye surgeon Currie Chiang jailed for tax evasion
By Elena Chong
A SPECIALIST eye consultant and eye surgeon was jailed for six months and ordered to pay a penalty of $117,888 on Thursday.
Currie Chiang, 56, had under-declared income tax amounting to $149,591 in her tax returns for the years of assessment 2006 and 2007.
She had pleaded guilty to two charges of tax evasion. A third charge was withdrawn and compounded. One of the charges states that she prepared a false record of International Eye Clinic's (IEC) trade income.
The offence carries a penalty of four times the amount of tax evaded, and a fine of up to $50,000 or a jail term of up to five years or to both. Chiang had in December 2007, declared that she derived $733,982 from her business when the actual figure was $882,483.
She also made a false entry in her returns by stating that the income she derived from IEC was $998,107 when it was $999,197.
She could have been fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed up to three years. In addition, she has to pay a penalty of treble the amount of tax undercharged. The total tax evaded amounted to $29,529.
In a statement, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore reminded all businesses to keep proper records and accounts of all their transactions. Businesses must keep their records up-to-date and ensure that the records support their income tax and/or GST declarations.
