5 March 2013

On 22 February 2013, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) issued a revised edition of the e-Tax Guide, “GST Guide for Retailers participating in Tourist Refund Scheme (6th Edition)”.

In this edition, revisions have been made to:
• take into account the extension of the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS), effective from 21 January 2013, to tourists departing from Singapore on an international cruise (with some exclusions) from the Marina Bay Cruise Centre and the International Passenger Terminal at Harbourfront Centre
• update the particulars of the participating Central Refund Agencies
• update the tourist eligibility criteria and the type of goods qualifying for refund
• update the compliance conditions for participating retailers
• update the refund procedures at time of sale and at the airport or cruise terminals
• highlight important areas that retailers should take note of when making a sale under the TRS
• update the claim procedures to be taken by participating retailers and the documentation required when claiming a refund under the TRS from the Comptroller
• highlight the controls to be implemented by retailers to prevent misuse of the eTRS, and
• update information relating to retailer contingency plans, administrative fees and offences.

Source: This article was extracted from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) website.