Tax

Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing front in the tax talent market, and Singapore and Hong Kong are its twin hubs. Singapore's headline corporate tax rate of 17 percent ^[4] and Hong Kong's two-tiered profits tax of 8.25 percent on the first HKD 2 million and 16.5 percent thereafter ^[5] are among the most competitive in the world, and both jurisdictions anchor the region's regional-headquarters and holding-company activity - Singapore remains a leading regional-headquarters hub for multinationals across Asia-Pacific. That concentration of multinational structures is exactly what drives demand for senior tax partners, and the supply of them is thin.

Three regional shifts are pulling demand forward at once. First, BEPS Pillar Two: both Singapore (via the Multinational Enterprise Top-up Tax and Domestic Top-up Tax under the Multinational Enterprise (Minimum Tax) Act 2024) and Hong Kong (via the Income Inclusion Rule and Hong Kong Minimum Top-up Tax) brought the 15 percent global minimum tax into force for financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2025 ^[1][2]. Second, the digitisation of indirect tax: Singapore's GST sits at 9 percent and IRAS is rolling out GST InvoiceNow, moving compliance toward near real-time reporting ^[3]. Third, a marked escalation in transfer-pricing audit and dispute activity across the region. For global comparison only, the worldwide tax advisory market was estimated at around USD 40 billion in 2025 on one industry estimate, with Asia Pacific among the faster-growing regions ^[6].

Supply has not kept pace, and the scarcity is most acute at partner and director level where a credential such as the SCTP Accredited Tax Advisor, CA (Singapore), HKICPA membership or the ADIT combines with a portable client following. Firms that need to stand up a Pillar Two capability, a transfer-pricing controversy bench or a regional mobility desk cannot fill those seats from the open market.

CharteredPartners runs retained, mandate-by-mandate search for tax partners, directors and lift-out teams across the Big Four, mid-tier networks and independents - Singapore and Hong Kong first, then Sydney and the wider Australian market, Dubai and London. We map the market discipline by discipline, assess credentials and client portability rather than CVs alone, and protect confidentiality on both sides of a partner move.