The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) has published an updated version of its e-Tax guide on GST exports on 8 July, 2024 .
This e-Tax Guide details the various circumstances and documentary requirements for which a supply of goods can be zero-rated. It aims to provide general guidance to assist GST-registered businesses to comply with the zero-rating provisions on exports of goods.
A general principle for zero-rating exports of goods is that the supplier must, at the point of supply (to be determined based on the time of supply rules), be certain that the goods supplied will be/has been exported, and the supplier has/will have the required export evidence to substantiate the zero-rating of this supply.
The onus is on the supplier who zero-rates his exports of goods to support his GST declarations with export evidence. This includes: (a) Commercial transaction documents (e.g. customer’s order, sale invoice, delivery note, packing list, insurance documents, and payment received); and (b) Commercial transport documents (e.g. bill of lading, air waybill, export permit , or any other documents specified by the Comptroller in this guide).
However, the Comptroller may request for documents and/or impose conditions not specified in the guide to support the zero-rating of supplies if it is assessed to be necessary.
