Singapore Airlines pilot jailed six months and fined $182K for tax evasion

SINGAPORE: A Singapore Airlines (SIA) pilot was sentenced yesterday (21 Apr) to six months in prison and a hefty fine of S$181,996 for tax evasion.

51-year-old Andrew Soo Cheng Ai has been on no-pay leave since his offences came to light last September. He pleaded guilty to four charges under the Income Tax Act, while another nine charges related to tax evasion and underreporting of personal income tax were considered for sentencing.

The court heard that Soo owns and rents out two properties at Balestier Road and Kim Yan Road but neglected to declare his rental income and provided false information to the Income Tax Department.

Investigations revealed that he deliberately made false entries in his income tax returns for the year 2014 with the intent to evade tax. Soo failed to accurately declare the rental income he received from the properties, resulting in $15,354 of tax undercharged.

When asked for details of his rental properties, Soo provided false information that differed from his filed tax returns. The court heard that if the false information had been accepted, it would have resulted in $35,310 of tax undercharged.

In addition, Soo submitted fictitious invoices and documents to support his inflated claims for expenses for his rental properties in 2013 and 2014, which would have resulted in $7,500 in taxes undercharged if accepted by IRAS.

Asserting that it takes tax evasion and non-compliance seriously, IRAS said in a statement yesterday: “There will be severe penalties for those who wilfully evade tax. The authority will not hesitate to bring offenders to court. Offenders may face a penalty of up to four times the amount of tax evaded. Jail terms may also be imposed.”