Han Ximin

1824295095@qq.com

WENJINDU Checkpoint in Luohu District became Shenzhen’s first land crossing to offer a departure tax refund service for overseas travelers yesterday.

It makes Shenzhen the first city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to offer such services across land, sea, and air terminals.

The service at Wenjindu is accessible at a counter in the southwest corner of the departure hall on the second floor.

A traveler surnamed Li was the first beneficiary of the new service at Wenjindu, managing the entire process in five minutes. Her purchase of a HERMES perfume, costing 1,360 yuan (US$187), qualified for a 122.4 yuan refund, which corresponds to a 9% tax rebate rate.

“I’m delighted with the refund service at the checkpoint,” she said. “For those of us who frequently cross borders via land checkpoints, this service is significantly more convenient than the alternative of traveling to an airport or cruise port to complete the refund process.”

The departure tax refund service was launched earlier at the Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport and the Shekou Cruise Home Port.

Since many travelers opt for land ports for border crossings, the launch of the tax refund service at Wenjindu will save time for Hong Kong travelers who had to go to the airport or the Shekou Cruise Home Port for departure tax refunds. The service will also enhance their willingness to spend, said Liu Yufang, an official with the city’s office of port of entry and exit.

Overseas travelers, including those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, who stay on the Chinese mainland for no more than 183 consecutive days are eligible for a tax refund.

Tourists shopping at Shenzhen’s departure tax refund stores can enjoy tax refund services for purchases ranging from 500 yuan to 110,000 yuan. For goods with a value-added tax rate of 13%, the tax refund rate is 11%. After deducting a 2% tax refund agency fee, the actual tax refund amount for tourists is 9%.

Since Shenzhen introduced the departure tax refund policy at its airport in 2016, the number of departure tax refund service stores in the city had expanded to 131 by the first quarter of this year.