Key Focus Areas

A. Statutory Compliance Calendar and Deadlines

• Audit Completion – by 30 April
  Ensuring financial statements are finalized and audited within statutory timelines.
  Discussion points: audit readiness, documentation, coordination with external auditors.
• Annual CIT Filing – by 31 May
  Overview of filing requirements, mandatory disclosures, and e-filing procedures.
  Key focus: accuracy in tax computation, reconciliation of book vs. tax profits, and documentation standards.
• Annual Inspection – by 30 June
  Understanding inspection requirements, documentation to prepare, and common compliance pitfalls.

B. Dividend Declaration Planning

• Sequence of compliance activities before dividends can be declared.
• Legal and tax implications of dividend distribution.
• Best practices for board resolutions, approval processes, and submission requirements.
• Managing retained earnings and ensuring tax clearance before payout.

C. Corporate Income Tax (CIT) Planning and Optimization

• Estimated Full-Year CIT Review:
  Conducting a pre-year-end review to project tax exposure and identify potential optimization measures.
• Deductibility of Expenses:
  Clarifying categories of deductible and non-deductible expenses—examples include:
  • Staff welfare and entertainment expenses
  • Provisions and accruals
  • Related-party transactions and transfer pricing considerations
• Preferential CIT Rates and Incentives:
  • Eligibility for micro and small enterprise preferential rates.
  • Utilizing government-backed tax incentives or reliefs available to qualifying businesses.
  • Strategies to structure business activities to maximize available benefits.

D. Practical Considerations and Case Studies

• Illustrative examples of companies that optimized CIT and improved compliance efficiency.
• Common mistakes during year-end tax processes—and how to avoid them.
• Interactive Q&A to address participant-specific challenges.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand and manage all statutory compliance deadlines and reporting requirements.
• Prepare effectively for financial audits, annual tax filings, and corporate inspections.
• Review and optimize estimated full-year CIT positions before year-end close.
• Identify allowable deductions and preferential tax treatments to reduce tax exposure.
• Understand the regulatory sequence and prerequisites for dividend declarations.

Participants will leave the training with:

• A checklist of tax documentation and submission deadlines.
• Practical strategies to optimize CIT before year-end.
• Confidence to manage dividend declaration procedures compliantly and efficiently.

Trainer Profile

Lee Soon is a seasoned and qualified professional accountant with over 20 years of experience, providing advisory services to international companies with operations in China. In his role, he has tackled challenges related to reporting, tax compliance, human resources, and corporate governance. Prior to this, Lee Soon was with our China office since 2013 as the head of Beijing branch, where he contributed to the growth of the advisory business.

Having initially spent six years with the Stone Forest Group in the late 1990s, Lee Soon spearheaded the formation of the group's Management Information System (MIS) unit and IT Advisory practice, focusing on streamlining clients' business processes before system implementation.

Lee Soon has also played a pivotal role in providing business advisory services in China, assisting international companies in setting up and restructuring finance departments in their PRC subsidiaries. His responsibilities included hands-on supervision, training, system implementation, and policy development. His diverse background also includes a stint as a lecturer at a local polytechnic.

Qualifications: Chartered Accountant of Singapore, Bachelor of Accountancy, National University of Singapore

• Finance and Accounting Managers
• Business Owners and Entrepreneurs