Shao Tong Tan

Practice Areas

Tan Shao Tong is the Deputy Head of the Tax Practice.

His main practice areas are income tax, goods & services tax, stamp duty, and property tax.

Matters of significance in which Shao Tong has been involved in include Comptroller of Income Tax v BBO (on the tax treatment of investment gains by insurance companies); ATG v The Comptroller of Income Tax (involving an appeal against the Comptroller of Income Tax's decision to disallow claims for capital allowances incurred for plant and machinery used by the appellant's sub-contractors and vendors); Comptroller of Income Tax v ACC (involving a judicial review application relating to withholding tax on payments under interest rate swaps) and the follow-on landmark decision of ACC v Comptroller of Income Tax; ZF v Comptroller of Income Tax (on demountable dormitories and capital allowances); and ABB v Comptroller of Income Tax (on the taxation of stock options granted to an employee's estate).

Professional Memberships

Shao Tong is an Accredited Tax Advisor with the Singapore Chartered Tax Professionals and is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Publications

- Singapore Civil Procedure 2024

- Goods and Services Tax Law & Practice (2nd Edition)

- International Comparative Legal Guide to: Private Client 2019 - Singapore Chapter

- Global Legal Insights - Corporate Tax, 2nd Edition to 6th Edition - Singapore Chapter

- PLC Multi-Jurisdictional Guide 2012/13 - Tax on Transactions - Singapore Chapter

Work Highlights

Significant transactions that Shao Tong has been involved in include advising / acting for the following:

- The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited, in relation to the Singapore legal / regulatory aspects of its purchase of Credit Suisse's trust businesses in Singapore, The Bahamas and Guernsey.

- Resorts World Sentosa on the stamp duty implications of the expansion of the integrated resort at Sentosa Singapore.

- Singapore counsel to Shiseido Company, Limited in the divestment of its personal care business to a new company to be established by funds advised by CVC Capital Partners group. We advised on the tax considerations arising from the sale.

- The issuance of US$8 million 5.65% women's Livelihood Bonds by Impact Investment Exchange (IIX).

- Broadcom Corporation in relation to Singapore tax aspects in its acquisition by Avago Technologies Limited for US$37 billion.

- Skyworks Solutions, Inc. in relation to Singapore tax aspects of its joint venture with Panasonic Corporation to design, develop and deliver high performance filters including surface acoustic wave ("SAW") devices and temperature compensated SAW devices ("TC-SAW") and the acquisition by the joint venture of Panasonic Corporation's SAW and TC-SAW business in Singapore.