A customs check point for tax refund at the Baoan Airport in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province. (Photo/Chinanews.com)
(ECNS) -- Overseas tourists will find it easier to get a tax refund when departing from Bao'an International Airport in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.
An official from Shenzhen Customs said a departure tax-refund scheme will be piloted by the airport, allowing overseas tourists to finish check-in before applying for tax refunds.
Under the plan, foreign tourists, as well as visitors from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who have lived on the mainland for no more than 183 days, are eligible for an 11 percent rebate on consumer goods purchased at designated department stores.
In Shenzhen, a two percent fee will be charged to the tax refund applicant. The refund will be settled in Chinese yuan and can be paid in cash or through bank transactions.
The minimum purchase for a value-added tax refund is 500 yuan ($77.3) in any one store in a day. The refund is valid when the purchase is made within 90 days before departure and the products remain unused upon departure.
Shenzhen will further expand its tax refund sites after the pilot program.
