Han Ximin 1824295095@qq.com A CENTRALIZED tax refund service point was officially launched at the Sun Department Store in the Dongmen commercial area of Luohu District on Tuesday. The point is one of five additional service points that will be established in key shopping malls across the city, such as Haiya Mega Mall in Nanshan District and KingGlory Plaza in Luohu District, by the end of this month. Eligible overseas travelers can receive an immediate value-added tax refund after shopping at participating stores by bringing their receipts to the department store’s centralized tax refund point. There are currently six centralized tax refund points in the city, which can be found at the Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport’s International Departure Hall, the Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, the Futian Checkpoint, the Luohu Checkpoint, the Shekou Cruise Home Port, and Shenzhen North Station. One of the oldest commercial centers in Shenzhen, Dongmen includes 28 modern commercial buildings on 15 main streets. It integrates tourism, catering, leisure, and shopping, and it is known for its endless variety of goods and nonstop foot traffic. The Dongmen Pedestrian Street, a must-see destination in Luohu District for overseas travelers, ranked second in terms of the number of Hong Kong visitors among the 12 business circles in the city last year. Shenzhen, one of the first cities in China to implement the refund-upon -departure policy, began piloting the policy in 2016 and trialing the refund- upon-purchase policy in December 2023. Since December 2023, sales involving departure tax refund had surged by 245% year on year as of June 10, while the refund-upon-purchase sales grew by over 22 times year on year, according to Shenzhen Tax Service of the State Taxation Administration. In May, a dedicated departure tax refund zone was established at this year’s China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair to serve international buyers, marking the first time such a zone has been introduced at a national-level exhibition. “The refund process took merely 2 minutes — so efficient,” said Jin Yufeng, a Taiwanese buyer who bought a DJI drone priced at 4,990 yuan (US$695) at the fair. He received a refund of about 382 yuan. There are 510 stores across the city offering departure tax refund services. These stores are primarily located in high-end malls such as MixC, KK Mall, Coastal City, and Yitian Holiday Plaza. Also participating are international brand flagship stores and retailers specializing in mobile phones and computers, jewelry, and watches. The city will set up more tax refund shops at popular tourist destinations and transportation hubs. It also plans to expand the tax refund category to include more homegrown high-tech products, such as phones and drones produced by Huawei, DJI, and Honor, traditional Shenzhen signature products, including Yongfengyuan porcelain and Marisfrolg women’s fashion, and local specialties. What to Know
Eligible Applicants: Foreign tourists and residents from HK, Macao, and Taiwan staying on the Chinese mainland for no more than 183 consecutive days. Minimum Purchase: 200 yuan in a single store on the same day. Goods Requirement: Must be unused and carried out of the Chinese mainland within 90 days. Refund Rate: 9%, which is calculated as 11% value-added tax minus a 2% service fee. | 