Duty and GST
Duty and GST
A purchase at Cecil Place carries two government charges at the outset: Buyer’s Stamp Duty on the price, and GST at 9% on each sum owed to the developer. Both are settled in cash, alongside the sums set out on the payment scheme page, and neither is financed by the bank facility described on the commercial loan page. The figures below are the rates in force as at September 2026.
Commercial property runs on a five-band scale that has applied since 15 February 2023. The bands are marginal, so each slice of the price is charged at its own rate rather than the whole price taking the top rate. Duty is assessed on the price or the market value, whichever is higher, and on the figure before GST.
| Portion of the purchase price | Rate |
|---|---|
| First $180,000 | 1% |
| Next $180,000 | 2% |
| Next $640,000 | 3% |
| Next $500,000 | 4% |
| Amount exceeding $1,500,000 | 5% |
Rates per IRAS, in force since 15 February 2023. Confirm with IRAS before commitment.
On a unit at the Cecil Place entry price of $10,500,000 the scale produces $494,600 of duty, an effective rate of about 4.71% — below the 5% headline because the first $1,500,000 is charged in the lower bands. The stamp duty calculator shows the same working band by band for any figure you enter.
Two duties that buyers often ask about are simply not chargeable on commercial property. They are named here because their absence is part of the cost picture at Cecil Place, not because anything has been left out of the table above.
| Charge | Position at Cecil Place |
|---|---|
| Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty | Not applicable. No Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty arises on a commercial purchase, whoever the buyer is — an individual, a Singapore-incorporated company or a foreign entity. |
| Seller’s Stamp Duty on a future sale | Not applicable. Commercial property carries no Seller’s Stamp Duty at any holding period, so the timing of a sale is a commercial decision rather than a duty one. |
Positions per IRAS as at September 2026. Confirm with IRAS before commitment.
GST is charged at 9% on the price, and it falls due instalment by instalment rather than once at the end. The developer issues a tax invoice at each milestone in the Sale of Commercial Properties Act schedule, and the GST on that milestone is payable with it. On a $10,500,000 unit the GST across the whole purchase comes to $945,000, spread across the schedule in step with the sums that trigger it. Banks do not fund GST, so it is cash at every stage.
Whether the GST can be recovered as input tax turns on the buying entity, and the position cannot be determined from the outside. Two situations are commonly distinguished, and both are guidelines rather than determinations.
| Buying entity | General guideline |
|---|---|
| Operating company, GST-registered and already carrying on taxable business activities | Input tax may generally be claimed as it is incurred through the construction period, subject to the rules set by IRAS. |
| Non-operating company, newly incorporated or holding the asset only | Claims would not usually begin during construction, and may instead start once the building reaches its Temporary Occupation Permit and taxable activity commences — letting the unit or operating from it. Registration is not automatic simply because a property has been bought. Subject to the rules set by IRAS. |
Guidelines only, subject to the rules set by IRAS. Take advice from a tax adviser on your own entity before committing.
Buyer’s Stamp Duty is payable to IRAS within 14 days of exercising the Sale & Purchase Agreement where the document is signed in Singapore. GST on the booking fee is payable with the booking fee itself, and GST on each later instalment with that instalment. The legal fee falls in the same opening window. The commercial purchase calculator sets all four against each other and produces the single cash figure needed to secure a unit within the eight-week Sale & Purchase period.
Enter a price in the stamp duty calculator for the duty on its own, band by band, with the GST shown beside it. For the whole opening position — duty, GST, legal fee, the 20% owed during the Sale & Purchase period and the loan drawdown that follows — use the commercial purchase calculator. Sizes and availability for the unit you have in mind are on the balance units chart, and indicative figures on the pricing page.
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