Departure tax refund policy refined for overseas travelers

A number of Chinese cities have increased departure tax refund stores as part of China's latest efforts to further improve the shopping experience of overseas travelers and boost inbound spending.

The measures, initiated by the Ministry of Commerce and five other government departments, include lowering the minimum purchase threshold, raising the cash refund ceiling, expanding the network of participating stores and widening the range of products available.

China is also promoting a "refund-upon-purchase" service model, allowing eligible tourists to have tax refunds instantly at retail outlets rather than waiting until they leave the country.

At a mall in Shanghai, 48 stores are offering "refund-upon-purchase" services for overseas travelers.

"Before, I wasn't really caring about the tax refunds, because it's only at the airports. But now that you have also in the malls, I think it became part of my life as well," said Federico, an Italian traveler.

"Clients could use the cash from our refunds to go on shopping. This enhances their shopping experience while boosting secondary consumption," said Zhang Jian, a tax refund agent at the mall.

There are now nearly 600 tax refund stores in Shanghai, half of which provide instant refunds.

"I'm rabbit. My zodiac sign is the rabbit. Those T-shirts here are very great, great store. That's great with a mixture of culture and modernization," said Frederic, a French traveler.

In Jinjiang District of Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan in southwest China, the first "refund-upon-purchase" service point of the province has been opened, accepting electronic wallets from 13 countries and regions.

Dutch tourist Jelly, who spent over 10,000 yuan on gifts for his wife, received a 1,500-yuan refund in less than five minutes at the service point.

"Today, I bought a product with a tax refund. I've been helped really good. They are very professional people, and I'm very happy with my product," Jelly said.

The tax refund stores include many time-honored and China chic brands, which have been favored by overseas travelers in Beijing.

Under the new policy, the minimum purchase threshold for departure tax refunds has been reduced from 500 yuan (about 69 U.S. dollars) to 200 yuan, and the cap for cash refunds has been doubled from 10,000 yuan to 20,000 yuan.

The new policy has driven up the sales at many tax refund stores in Beijing.

"Since the cash refund ceiling was raised, we apparently feel that more refund invoices have been issued," said Shi Heng, manager of a Qianxiangyi Silk Store.

Apart from streamlining tax refund procedures, China has also encouraged local authorities to package tax refund products with signs that can help customs officers identify the products without opening the packages, saving time for overseas travelers during clearance.

Shenzhen City in south China's Guangdong Province has launched a "one form, one package" model, meaning stores package products with bags that correspond to tax refund application forms submitted by foreign shoppers.

"Following the 'one form, one package' model, our store has seen significant increase in foreign shoppers. In the first quarter of the year, our sales of departure tax refund products rose by 500 percent year on year," said Wang Yali, manager of a Sundan store in Shenzhen.

The more than 400 tax refund stores in Shenzhen have reported a total sales of tax refund goods of more than 170 million yuan, up 376 percent year on year. The total amount of tax refunds offered by these stores have also surged 158 percent year on year.

Local commerce departments said they are mulling more measures to further optimize tax refund policy and boost inbound consumption.

"We will optimize the handling of applications to become departure tax refund stores, in the way of publishing long-term acceptance year by year, and publish the list of shops in multiple batches. We will speed up the piloting work and strive to make tax refund services available at all our land ports," said Zhou Lin, deputy director of market construction of the Commerce Bureau of Shenzhen.

Departure tax refund policy refined for overseas travelers

Departure tax refund policy refined for overseas travelers

Departure tax refund policy refined for overseas travelers

Departure tax refund policy refined for overseas travelers

Some Iranians in Türkiye are crossing back over the border, driven by worry and desperation, as a nationwide communications blackout in Iran has left them cut off from their loved ones.

Protests have erupted in many Iranian cities since Dec. 28. They initially began with Tehran bazaar merchants demonstrating against the sharp devaluation of the national currency rial, and soaring inflation, before spreading to other cities. The unrest has led to casualties among both security forces and civilians.

At the Turkish-Iranian border, many are returning with no certainty about what awaits them, filled instead with questions and growing fear for those on the other side of the border.

"I went to Van yesterday for internet. I urgently needed to use the internet. I got it done. Now I'm heading straight back. There are protests everywhere. We can't get any news. We can't communicate with our families. And it's not just me, there are many Iranians outside the country who can't reach their families," said Feriste, an Iranian citizen.

With communications blacked out across Iran, those outside the country feel powerless to check on the situation back home. For some, this silence has prompted them to return across the border, even as tensions continue to rise.

"We can't get any news. There is no internet. Everything is shut down. I want to search. I want to find out. I want to see my brother. I'm going to see my family," said Husnu, an Iranian citizen.

"I work in Türkiye, and I have no news from Iran at all. I'm going back because I'm worried about my family. It's been days since I last heard from them, and because I'm worried, I'm returning to Iran now. Of course, we are concerned about our safety. We don't know what awaits us there," said another Iranian.

With protests escalating and government blackouts still in place, many Iranians are caught between staying in safety abroad and risking everything to reconnect with their families.

"We had to come to Türkiye because we couldn't reach our families. Schools were closed already. All official institutions were shut down. We have no information about other cities either, because there is no communication network there. There is no television, no internet. We can't even check Twitter," said Nazlican, another Iranian citizen.

Iranians in Türkiye return home, fearing for their families amid unrest in Iran

Iranians in Türkiye return home, fearing for their families amid unrest in Iran