The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) is the main tax administrator of the Government. It is the descendant organization of the Singapore Income Tax Department and the Inland Revenue Department. The Singapore Income Tax Department was created in 1947 to administer the Income Tax Ordinance enacted during that year, however actual assessing of tax only began in November 1948. Following self-government in 1959, the Inland Revenue Department was form in 1960 when various revenues administered and collected by a number of separate agencies were brought together. When Singapore attained independence on 9 August 1965, substantial changes were made to the Income Tax Act, which came into effect on 1 January 1966. By 1970, the number of Acts that came under the Department’s purview had increased to twelve. That year also saw the appointment of the first local Commissioner, Mr Hsu Tse-Kwang. On 1 September 1992, IRAS was established by legislation as a statutory board under the Ministry of Finance. With this conversion, IRAS was incorporated by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore Act to take over functions previously performed by the Inland Revenue Department.
