House of Tan Yeok Nee up for sale by tender

The House of Tan Yeok Nee, the building which formerly housed the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, has been put up for sale by tender.

Located at the corner of Penang Road and Clemenceau Avenue, the building was gazetted as a National Monument by the Preservations of Monument Board in 1974.

The freehold commercial property also won a special commendation from the Paris-based FIABCI at the Prix d’Excellence in 2002.

According to the marketing agent Jones Lang LaSalle, the property has the potential for alternative uses such as a flagship office building, specialist retail, hospitality or F&B usage.

It added that owner occupiers or investors can also leverage off the building’s prominence and historical significance.

Jones Lang LaSalle’s national director of Investments, Anthony Barr, said: “This is a rare opportunity to acquire an asset for commercial use in a prime location in the Orchard Road precinct.

“Potential to increase existing usable space through the reconfiguration of void areas and use of courtyard space could provide further amenity to owners of the building.”

The property is owned by ERC International. ERC had acquired the site for a reported S$60 million from German real estate fund Union Investment Real Estate in 2012.

The tender will close on 5 July 2013.

Source : CNA – 27 May 2013

Why does IRAS make ‘provisional’ tax deductions?

While doing a check of my bank account, I realised deductions were made this month by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) under its GIRO scheme. The sum deducted was the same as my monthly instalments for the Year of Assessment 2012.

Due to these deductions (which would presumably continue until the 2013 assessment is completed next month or July), I am now in a net credit position with the IRAS. This also happened in 2011 and last year, but I did not notice the deductions then.

This policy seems questionable. IRAS has also made no interest payments on these “advance payments” made or informed me of these deductions.

FROM HUANG WENSHAN

Source – Today : 27 May 2013