Goods and Services Tax Act 1993 amended to update GST treatment for supply of media sales and introduce GST on imported low-value goods and business-to-consumer imported non-digital services

27 January 2022

The Goods and Services Tax Act 1993 (“Act”) has been amended with the changes coming into force on 1 January 2022 and 1 January 2023.

The Act has been amended primarily for the following purposes:

From 1 January 2022, to update the goods and services tax (“GST”) treatment for a supply of media sales. Media sales refer to the sale of advertising space for hardcopy print and outdoor advertisements, advertising airtime for broadcasting via TV and radio, and web advertising via email, internet or mobile devices. The GST treatment for a supply of media sales is now based on where the person who contracts for the service, for example, a local or overseas headquarters, and the person who directly benefits from the service, such as a subsidiary in Singapore, belong. Previously, the basis for determining whether a supply of media sales is zero-rated or standard-rated depended on the place of circulation of the advertisement.
From 1 January 2023, to introduce GST on imported low-value goods (S$400 or below) which are imported into Singapore via air or post and purchased from GST-registered suppliers. Also from 1 January 2023, consumers will also need to pay GST on supplies of imported non-digital services purchased from GST-registered overseas service providers.

The Act has also been amended to clarify GST treatment and to improve GST administration.

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