At IRAS, employees have enriching careers that are filled with developmental opportunities, work-life balance, and prospects for progression. Certainly, what more could one ask for?

By Cheryl Lim

Here’s a secret that many passers-by of the Revenue House are unlikely to know. This building, where the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) is located, also houses a fully-decked gym, muay thai training centre, badminton courts, and function rooms.

At IRAS, providing employees with a dynamic work environment and healthy work-life balance is the order of the day.

The IRAS culture came as a pleasant surprise to Cai Nana, a 22-year-old Tax Officer who joined the agency in March this year. It is also one of the key reasons why Principal Tax Officer Alan Chua has stayed on for 11 years and counting.

Besides, the financial independence and career prospects available at IRAS were dual offers they could not refuse. The Technical-Gratuity Scheme, available to all diploma-holders who join the company, grants each person a gratuity amount of $12,000 upon completing three years of service and an opportunity to be emplaced or promoted within these three years.

Alan has already benefited from this unique scheme, from which Nana will also reap the fruits of her labour by 2012.

Beyond technicalities
Every quarter, several property clusters comprising a few hundred industrial sites need to be assessed by IRAS’s Property Tax Division (PTD). As a Tax Officer from the PTD Industrial Building Team, Nana’s core work involves valuing these properties and proposing suitable property tax rates for the owners, based on their expected rental values.

While her work might seem straightforward at the outset, it can sometimes be a complex affair, as the “people factor” is a constant consideration on the job.

“We don’t just do assessments, we handle objections as well. One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is in handling taxpayers. Sometimes taxpayers are not very happy with the values proposed last year and will object to them,” says Nana, who had studied Real Estate Business in Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP).

For this soft-spoken girl, managing an agitated taxpayer merely five months into her job was clearly a challenge.

“I was a bit taken aback, because it was the first time I had handled this kind of case. I consulted my manager, who guided me along on how I should manage taxpayers, how to communicate with them, what are the things I should look out for. Now that I have experienced it, I will be more able to manage it when it happens again,” Nana says optimistically.

However, knowing the impact of her work makes achieving a good valuation all the more fulfilling.

“It is very satisfying when I value a property, and the value I propose has been approved by my manager. Because this value contributes to what a taxpayer has to pay, I have to be very careful. We will try to put ourselves in their shoes, to assess the property wisely so the owner doesn’t pay too much or too little, and it is a win-win situation,” she says.

On to bigger things
Meanwhile, Alan’s work in the Corporate Tax Division sees him working closely with a different group of taxpayers – medium-sized corporations, or their tax agents.

The Corporate Tax Division is divided into three branches (Small, Medium and Large Corporations), which are further sub-categorised into various sectors such as finance, realty, wholesale, incentives, etc.

“Different industries have different cases,” says Alan, who oversees the commerce, services and manufacturing industries. “So the challenge with each task lies in following the Act, checking it against case laws, and making sure we apply them correctly to taxpayers, because it involves thousands of dollars.”

Over the past 11 years, Alan has enjoyed career progression and exposure through the organisation’s Open Posting Scheme, as well as training under the Tax Academy of Singapore, an institution set up by IRAS in collaboration with the Big Four in the accounting industry.

Since joining IRAS as an Assistant Tax Officer in the Enforcement Division in 1998, Alan has been promoted two ranks to Senior Tax Officer, and was subsequently posted to the Corporate Tax Division through the company’s Open Posting Scheme, where he progressed further to become a Principal Tax Officer.

“I have progressed from being at the front line to handling bigger companies, which involve bigger numbers. You will get to have a more in-depth understanding of these industries, rather than just be exposed to general practice,” says Alan, who had majored in Accountancy at NP.

Today, the self-motivated 34-year-old is on his way to becoming an Accredited Tax Specialist.

“To become a Tax Specialist, you need to complete the basic, in-depth and advanced courses provided by the Tax Academy and attain a high level of technical competence. IRAS supports our officers to attend these courses which equip them with the necessary skills to do their work,” says Alan, who is currently pursuing his advanced tax course.

The Happiness Scale
If there was a way to measure something as intangible as “employee happiness”, IRAS is likely to tip the scales off balance. Not surprisingly, employee engagement ranks high in a corporate culture that embraces welfare, work-life balance and wellbeing.

“Sure, there are challenges at work. But the company does look into work-life balance and into your wellbeing. There are many committees in IRAS that help to organise activities that you can join if you like. But if you finish your work and leave on the dot, no one will say anything,” says Alan.

With different committees managing employee welfare, social wellbeing and sports activities, IRAS walks the talk when it comes to work-life balance for employees. Nana herself is in the Recreation Club’s Sports Sub-Committee, and has organised company-wide events such as Night Cycling and the Amazing Race at Sentosa.

“I think IRAS is a fun place to be in,” says Nana. “It’s the people that you work with. People make up the environment. When you’re in a good environment, you can excel in what you want to achieve at work.”