I submitted a personal tax query via the e-mail option in the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) myTax portal last Thursday, and received an auto-reply stating: "We will reply to you within 15 working days. If we need more time, we will inform you."

How are 15 days a reasonable time for taxpayers to wait for an update?

Does the civil service have guidelines on what is a reasonable and acceptable response time for each of its departments?

While 15 days is an indicative range, does it provide good impetus for an officer to address the query in a timely manner?

Tan Chor Hoon