Forum: More safeguards needed as platform work grows more complex
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Ride-hailing giant Grab’s tax-reporting error affecting thousands of drivers shows how complex platform work has become (16,000 Grab drivers to see higher tax bills because of incomplete records submitted to IRAS, Sept 28).
Drivers now have to deal with earnings, incentives, Central Provident Fund contributions, tax reporting and pre-filled income information. I hope to hear from the relevant platform workers’ association on how it has been helping drivers through this transition.
From experience, tax and human resources problems are often discovered only after implementation, when an incorrect contribution, pay slip or tax assessment has already reached the worker.
Workers’ representatives should therefore be involved not only after problems arise, but also during major changes to help ensure statements are clear, figures can be reconciled and workers know how to raise discrepancies.
It would also be useful for the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) and Grab to clarify whether affected drivers could face any penalties because of the incorrect information, and who bears responsibility for correcting the records and any resulting tax assessments.
Individual drivers should not become the main control for detecting or resolving a systemic reporting error.
Chong Ryh Huei