Singapore Budget 2026: From announcement to action
Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong delivered Singapore Budget 2026 on 12 February, unveiling the Government’s strategy to navigate a world reshaped by trade fragmentation, protectionist policies, and the rapid ascent of AI.
Now that the announcements have been made, the critical question is: What happens next?
Tax policy is a central lever in Singapore’s new economic strategy. This session moves beyond the headlines to dissect the real-world implications of the Budget. Our expert panel will cut through the complexity to answer the questions that matter to practitioners on the ground: How will the new measures actually support business restructuring? Where are the real incentives for AI adoption and innovation? And what do these shifts mean for your day-to-day practice and your clients' bottom lines?
Join us for this in-person discussion as we unpack the key tax changes and share grounded, actionable insights for the year ahead.
This is your chance to get grounded, practical perspectives from a leading economist and a diverse panel of top-tier tax practitioners:
- Ms Selena Ling, Chief Economist & Global Head, OCBC Group Research, Global Markets, OCBC
- Ms Evelyn Lim, Executive Director, Corporate and International Tax, BDO Singapore; Accredited Tax Advisor (Income Tax)
- Mr Toh Ming Xian, Partner – Tax, Global Compliance Reporting – Private Client Services, EY; Accredited Tax Advisor (Income Tax)
- Ms Lim Pei Qi, General Manager – International Tax, Olam Global Agri; Accredited Tax Advisor (Income Tax)
- Moderated by Mr Melvin Yong, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Chartered Tax Professionals
- Reactions to Budget 2026, with a focus on business relevant tax measures
- Tax incentives and reliefs to support AI adoption, digitalisation and productivity gains
- Using tax levers to support business restructuring, cost management and investment realignment
- International tax considerations for companies expanding overseas amid global fragmentation
- Positioning Singapore’s tax framework to attract and anchor high value activities
- Practical takeaways for businesses, tax leaders and practitioners
SCTP reserves the right to vary any aspect of the event/ webinar should the situation warrant or due to unforeseen circumstances. This includes but not limited to the following: cancel the programme, change the venue, speakers, programme dates, fees and CPE hours. SCTP will take reasonable effort to notify participants of the changes.
Ms Selena LingChief Economist & Global Head, OCBC Group Research, Global Markets
OCBC
Selena is the Chief Economist for OCBC. As Global Head of OCBC Group Research, she leads a team that is responsible for macroeconomic insights, forecasts and trading recommendations for clients. The research coverage spans macroeconomics, foreign exchange, interest rates, corporate credit, equity and ESG. Under her leadership, OCBC’s research capabilities have been greatly valued by customers and highly ranked in surveys.
She is a member of the OCBC Wealth Panel for Singapore and Malaysia, and Vice President and council member for the Economic Society of Singapore. She also sits on the Advisory Board of College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Board of Governors. She was conferred the IBF Fellow Award in Financial Markets in 2017. Her research writings has been extensively quoted and published by prominent media across print, television and radio.
Prior to joining OCBC in August 2000, Selena was with the Fiscal Policy Unit under the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and the Economics Department in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).
Ms Evelyn LimExecutive Director, Corporate and International Tax
BDO Singapore
Accredited Tax Advisor (Income Tax)
Evelyn Lim is a Corporate Tax Specialist at BDO Singapore with over 25 years of experience in corporate income tax compliance and advisory services across diverse industries. Her expertise includes cross-border transaction structuring, mergers and acquisitions, tax due diligence, post-acquisition integration, corporate reorganisations and tax function planning.
She has significant experience advising on tax-efficient inbound and outbound investment structures and has successfully assisted clients in negotiating and securing tax incentives with regulatory authorities. She also regularly supports clients in managing tax audits and resolving complex tax issues.
Evelyn’s experience was built through her years with the Big Four in Singapore including a six-year secondment in Beijing, China, where she advised both Chinese enterprises and multinational corporations on international tax matters.
Before joining BDO, Evelyn was Global Tax Director of a Singapore Exchange-listed global container shipping and logistics group.
Mr Toh Ming XianPartner – Tax, Global Compliance Reporting – Private Client Services
EY
Accredited Tax Advisor (Income Tax)
Ming Xian is a seasoned tax professional with over 15 years of experience spanning both Big Four advisory and in-house corporate tax leadership roles. Ming Xian started his career with EY where he provided corporate tax related services to a diversified portfolio of local and multinational corporations from various industries.
He later took on the role of Group Tax Lead at a prominent Asia-Pacific healthcare services provider. He established the in-house tax team and initiated various tax initiatives for the organization which includes designing and implementing tax governance processes and policies. He spearheaded and operationalized the organization’s legal entity rationalization exercise. He worked closely with finance teams of various jurisdictions and external tax advisors to ensure the annual corporate tax returns, indirect returns, withholding taxes returns, etc., are filed timely.
Ming Xian also served on the organisation’s M&A review committee, where he provided structuring advice and led the preparation and review of tax due diligence reports to support strategic transactions. In 2021, he rejoined EY as part of the Global Compliance Reporting (Private Client Services). In this role, he continues to advise businesses on tax aspects of corporate restructuring, fundraising, and tax controversy matters. He also supports business owners in developing tax-efficient strategies for wealth preservation and succession planning.
Ms Lim Pei QiGeneral Manager – International Tax
Olam Global Agri
Accredited Tax Advisor (Income Tax)
Pei Qi has over 13 years of dual expertise spanning Big Four and global tax functions within the semiconductor and agri-business sectors. Currently a key member of the Global Group Tax team at Olam Group, Pei Qi specializes in navigating the complexities of Pillar 2 implementation, M&A tax structuring, intra-group loan rationalization and other matters requiring tax support within the business. With her experience of managing multi-jurisdictional tax landscapes across APAC, Australia, US and Latin America, she actively aligns global tax compliance with commercial objectives. A pro-active business partner, she transforms technical tax challenges into streamlined operational strategies, ensuring optimization of tax costs while maintaining high levels of tax governance standards, in a rapidly evolving global tax environment.
Mr Melvin Yong (Moderator)Chief Executive Officer
Singapore Chartered Tax Professionals
Melvin Yong is CEO of Singapore Chartered Tax Professionals and leads strategic efforts to uplift tax excellence and professional development across business, professional practice and the public sector. Formerly Singapore Country Head at CPA Australia, he grew its 8,600-strong membership and forged key impactful partnerships. With 30 years of experience spanning leadership, financial journalism, communications and media training, Melvin is a former award-winning news anchor and founding presenter and business editor at Channel NewsAsia. He has advised global firms, hosted national Budget panels, and authored thought leadership for international publications, earning recognition as a respected voice in Singapore’s finance and media landscape.