CCTV News: On April 27, the Ministry of Commerce and six other departments issued a notice on further optimizing the departure tax refund policy to expand inbound consumption.

In order to thoroughly implement the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, better meet the demand for tax refunds for overseas travelers shopping, further enrich market supply, optimize tax refund services, and expand inbound consumption, with the approval of the State Council, the following notice is hereby notified on relevant matters:

1. Promote the incremental expansion of departing tax refund stores

(I) Optimize the layout of departing tax refund stores. All regions are encouraged to add tax refund stores in large business districts, pedestrian streets, tourist attractions, resorts, cultural and museum venues, airports, passenger ports, hotels, etc. to expand the coverage of tax refund stores. Actively guide international famous products, domestic trendy products, time-honored stores, cultural and creative stores, souvenir stores, gift stores, specialty stores, etc. to become tax refund stores. Support qualified areas to build a number of characteristic blocks for tax refunds.

(II) Relax the registration conditions for departure tax refund stores. The registration conditions for departure tax refund stores will be added to the current tax credit levels A and B, and new stores will be allowed to become tax refund stores on the premise of complying with other relevant regulations. Optimize the registration process of departure tax refund stores. After the qualified stores are registered with their competent tax authorities, they can become tax refund stores. The competent tax authorities should complete the registration within 5 working days after receiving the registration information. Establish and improve the withdrawal mechanism for tax refund stores and increase penalties for violations and illegal acts.

2. Enrich the supply of goods for departure tax refunds

(III) Lower the starting point of departure tax refunds. If the amount of tax refund items purchased by overseas tourists in the same store reaches RMB 200 and meets other relevant regulations, they can apply for a departure tax refund.

(IV) Improve the supply level of tax refund products. Guide tax refund stores to continuously enrich and optimize the supply of goods according to the needs of overseas tourists, and increase the supply of high-quality products such as time-honored products, Chinese consumer products, smart products, intangible cultural heritage products, arts and crafts products, geographical indication products, cultural and creative products, famous and high-quality specialties, sports products, etc. Carry out a series of activities of "Purchase in China" to support local governments to cultivate and create high-quality special products of "city gifts" and "must-purchase must-brand" and guide them into tax refund stores.

3. Improve the level of departure tax refund services

(5) Optimize the process of departure tax refund processing. Accelerate the improvement of the departure tax refund management system, optimize the store login method, realize automatic acquisition of invoice information, and improve the intelligence and automation level of information entry, comparison, and verification. The "buy and refund" service measures for leaving tax refund will be promoted nationwide, and more tax refund stores and tax refund agencies will be encouraged to provide "buy and refund" services. Areas with conditions are encouraged to set up "buy now and refund" centralized refund points in areas with large business districts, blocks, scenic spots, and other areas where overseas tourists are concentrated. Areas with conditions are encouraged to encapsulate and code tax refund items to provide convenience for customs to exempt them from unpacking and verification. If the customs has doubts during the verification process, it can be unpacked and confirmed before going through the verification procedures.

(VI) Optimize the services of tax refund agencies. Localities are encouraged to reasonably determine the service fee rate of tax refund agencies based on the development of local tax refund business. Improve the assessment and evaluation mechanism of tax refund agencies and actively introduce competition mechanisms. Support tax refund agencies to cooperate with currency exchange points, overseas passenger service centers and other places in the quarantine area of ​​the departure port. Support tax refund agencies to carry out cross-regional operations and cross-institutional cooperation. Tax refund agencies are encouraged to strengthen cooperation with tax refund stores and do a good job in passenger services, employee training, publicity and promotion.

(7) Optimize departure tax refund payment services. The cash tax refund limit was raised to RMB 20,000. Promote tax refund agencies to strengthen cooperation with payment institutions, clearing institutions, etc., and provide tax refund services through mobile payment, bank cards, cash and other means, under the premise that risks are controllable, to better meet the diverse payment service needs of overseas travelers.

(8) Optimize departure tax refund information services. Build a national comprehensive information service platform for departure tax refunds, establish a data sharing mechanism for departure tax refunds between departments, and provide overseas travelers with "one-stop" information services such as tax refund shop inquiry and tax refund business consultation. Strengthen the publicity and promotion of tax refund policies, tax refund outlets, etc., optimize unified tax refund signs, operational guidelines, etc., and strengthen the distribution and promotion through inbound flights, airports, key media, social platforms, key travel agencies and platform enterprises, so that overseas passengers can easily obtain tax refund information. Strengthen departmental cooperation, strengthen risk information sharing, and crack down on illegal acts such as fraud and tax refunds and illegal reselling.

All regions should improve their working mechanisms, innovate work measures, and continuously improve the quality and level of departure tax refund services. Areas that have not yet implemented the departure tax refund policy should strengthen overall planning and start relevant work as soon as possible. This notice shall come into force on the date of its publication. If the previous relevant regulations of the relevant departments of the State Council and local people's governments are inconsistent with this notice, this notice shall prevail.