$12.1 billion in GST, customs and excise duties collected in 2025: Singapore Customs

SINGAPORE – Singapore Customs collected $12.1 billion in goods and services tax (GST), customs and excise duties in 2025, an increase of $400 million from the previous year.

The amount in 2025 consists of $8.9 billion in GST, and $3.2 billion in customs and excise duties, it said in a press release on Jan 26, which is also International Customs Day.

The revenue goes directly towards funding public services such as healthcare, education, infrastructure and social programmes, it added.

In its press release, Singapore Customs noted that it saw significant increases in the number of tobacco cases and GST-related offences in 2025.

There were 30,371 tobacco cases detected in 2025, up from 20,131 in 2024, an increase of about 50 per cent. Meanwhile, the number of liquor cases rose to 4,266 from 3,384 in 2024.

Singapore Customs also detected 9,940 GST-related offences in 2025, a more than 80 per cent increase from the 5,447 detected in 2024.

The significant increases in tobacco cases and GST-related offences are “largely due to intensified whole-of-government enforcement efforts”, said the authority.

“These efforts prevented large-scale revenue losses and helped maintain a fair playing field for law-abiding businesses,” it added.

It highlighted a case in which investigations uncovered the under-declaration of around 260 imported vehicles, resulting in more than $1 million in evaded duties and GST.

In 2025, revenue from excise duties collected for motor vehicles rose to $405.8 million, from $370.6 million in 2024.

As for liquor, the revenue collected fell from $775.9 million in 2024 to $742.1 million. The duties collected for tobacco stayed the same at $1.1 billion.

Duties collected for petroleum, diesel and compressed natural gas declined to $976.7 million in 2025, from $992 million the year before.

Data analytics and AI

In 2025, Singapore Customs also stepped up its use of data and artificial intelligence (AI), which included the launch of the Data Analytics and AI System, also known as DAISY.

The system allows Singapore Customs to identify risks earlier, target enforcement with greater precision and facilitate legitimate trade more decisively.

“Other digital initiatives, such as AI-assisted document processing and end-to-end digital investigation workflows, reduced processing times from 20 minutes to under two minutes, saving thousands of man hours annually,” it said.

Singapore Customs’ director-general Tan Hung Hooi said it will “remain focused on what matters most” – protecting revenue, enabling trade and safeguarding society – as global trade grows more complex and risks continue to evolve.

“By combining firm enforcement, smart facilitation and purposeful digital transformation, Singapore Customs stands ready to continue supporting Singapore’s economy and the people it serves – today and in the years ahead,” he added.