Fujian province offers tourists tax refunds on shopping

Fujian province will offer tax refunds on purchases made by overseas visitors starting on Oct 1, after tax refund trials in Hainan province, Beijing and Shanghai.

According to the provincial government, five ports have been confirmed as the first batch of ports to offer tax refunds, namely Fuzhou Changle International Airport, Quanzhou Jinjiang Air Harbor, Pingtan Straits High-speed Passenger Terminal, Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport and Xiamen Wutong Port.

Tourists from overseas, as well as those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who have lived on the Chinese mainland for no more than 183 days, will be eligible for an 11 percent rebate on consumer goods bought at designated stores.

For those tourists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who used a digital visa, the stores will confirm entry date through verifying an air ticket or ship ticket.

So far, about 20 stores in Fujian have qualified for the program. The minimum purchase to obtain a tax refund is 500 yuan at any one store in a day.

Offering tax refunds has long been an important way for cities and countries to attract overseas tourists. More than 50 countries and regions have tax refund polices, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Brazil and Thailand.

The rebate program is expected to stimulate the development of China's inbound tourism, which has seen slow growth in spending and a decrease in visitors.

suzhou@chinadaily.com.cn