Tag: Tourist refund scheme

IRAS issues e-Tax Guide, “GST Guide for visitors on Tourist Refund Scheme (3rd edition)”

On By taxsgIn Goods and Services Tax

18 November 2014

On 16 November 2014, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) issued an e-Tax Guide, “GST Guide for visitors on Tourist Refund Scheme (3rd edition)”.

This e-Tax Guide provides details on how tourists can get a refund of the GST paid on the goods purchased and brought out of Singapore.

The Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) allows the claim a refund of the GST on goods purchased from the participating retailers if they are brought out of Singapore via Changi International Airport or Seletar Airport, subject to the criteria and conditions of the scheme.

From 21 January 2013, the tourist refund scheme has been extended to tourists who are departing from Singapore on an international cruise (excluding cruise-to-nowhere, round-trip cruise and regional ferry) that departs from the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) and the International Passenger Terminal at Harbourfront Centre.

To be eligible, the final destination of the ship’s voyage must not be Singapore. In addition, where the final destination is not Singapore, and the voyage involves the ship returning to Singapore on one or more occasions, the tourists may only claim GST refund on the ship’s last departure from Singapore in that voyage.

The TRS is a voluntary scheme. Hence, only claims for a refund of GST can made on purchases at participating retail shops in Singapore.

In this edition:

(i) Paragraph 7.1 has been inserted with a footnote for passport check.

(ii) Paragraph 8.2 has been amended to rename the “Central Refund Counter” at all Changi International Airports transit areas to “GST Cash Refund”.

For full details, please refer the e-Tax Guide on the IRAS website.

Source: This article was extracted from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore’s (IRAS) website. Visit http://www.iras.gov.sg/ for more information.

MOF seeks public feedback on the Goods and Services Tax (GST)

On By taxsgIn General News, Goods and Services Tax, Latest Tax News

10 August 2013

The Ministry of Finance is conducting a public consultation on the draft GST (Amendment) Bill 2013 from 5 to 25 August 2013.

The proposed amendments to existing tax policies and tax administration comprise:

(a) The Comptroller of GST and authorised persons may confiscate goods and arrest persons in cases where Tourist Refund Scheme fraud is suspected;

(b) When there is a change of local agent between the time of import and the subsequent supply of goods, the new local agent is liable for GST;

(c) The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) may release anonymised information to Government and Statutory Boards for statistical or research purposes, or disclose information concerning professional misconduct to the relevant professional body for their investigation;

(d) If a person, who had been permitted under the Approved Refiner and Consolidator Scheme to buy goods without GST, was subsequently found to be ineligible for the benefit, he has to pay back the GST; and

(e) The term “refine”, in the Approved Refiner and Consolidator Scheme, includes casting precious metals into a different form.

Additionally, the Bill includes the following non-tax policy changes:

(a) IRAS may share information with the Commercial Affairs Department and the Singapore Police Force for investigations relating to money laundering of tax crimes proceeds without a court order.

(b) The tax authority may offset outstanding taxes from Government payments to the taxpayer under any law, contract or scheme.

For full details, please refer to the Ministry of Finance’s website or the REACH consultation portal.

Source: Ministry of Finance

IRAS clarifies why TRS has not been extended to land checkpoints

On By taxsgIn Goods and Services Tax, Latest Tax News

12 April 2013

The IRAS has responded to a letter “Another GST ‘anomaly’” (ST Forum) on 28 March 2013 to clarify that the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS), which is currently available to air and international cruise passengers, has not been extended to include travellers leaving via land checkpoints due to the significantly higher risk of “round-tripping”.

The IRAS explained that it had considered implementing TRS at the land checkpoints, but decided against it after assessing that GST-refunded goods brought out of Singapore by land stood a higher chance of making their way back for local consumption free of GST.  Due to the high daily volume of commuters and tourists moving through the land checkpoints, availing refunds for outgoing tourists and checking on incoming travellers to mitigate round-tripping risks will adversely impact traffic flow and cause inconvenience to all travellers.

The IRAS’s full reply can be found on the IRAS website.

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

IRAS updates the e-Tax Guide “GST Guide For Visitors On Tourist Refund Scheme (6th Edition)”

On By taxsgIn Corporate Tax, Goods and Services Tax

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 Visitors On 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 TRS eligibility criteria, and
• update the TRS claim procedures at the airport or cruise terminals.

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

IRAS updates the e-Tax Guide “GST Guide for Retailers participating in Tourist Refund Scheme (6th Edition)”

On By taxsgIn Goods and Services Tax, Latest Tax News

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.