Ministry of Commerce: Optimization and Upgrading of Departure Tax Rebate Measures, Focusing on Achieving one "more", one "less", and two "transformation"

On May 18, the State Council Information Office held a press conference where Deputy Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping, Director of the Market Operation and Consumption Promotion Department of the Ministry of Commerce Yang Mu, Director of the Goods and Services Tax Division of the State Taxation Administration Xie Wen, and Deputy Mayor of Shenzhen Luo Huanghao introduced the efforts to optimize the exit tax rebate measures to expand inbound consumption. They also answered questions from reporters. Deputy Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping stated that the current efforts to optimize these measures have been upgraded on the basis of last year's policies, focusing on achieving more, less, and transformation. This aims to facilitate the process of outbound tax refunds for travelers, optimize the inbound consumption environment, and create the "buy in China" brand. Sheng Qiuping emphasized that in order to increase the coverage of tax refund stores, the 2.0 version of the policy encourages more qualified stores to register as tax refund stores and optimize the layout of these stores. They will fully utilize the leading and demonstrative role of international consumption center cities and cities with international consumption environment construction pilot projects to support the selection of key districts, scenic spots, markets, and ports with a large number of overseas tourists in various regions to achieve comprehensive coverage of tax refund stores. Additionally, efforts will be made to reduce the waiting time for border inspection and verification and to streamline and digitize the processing of tax refunds. They also aim to standardize and optimize the "buy now, refund now" service. In the next step, the Ministry of Commerce will implement consumer policies with greater strength and practical measures, focusing on the three aspects of product consumption, service consumption, and offline consumption. They will work towards expanding and upgrading product consumption, improving service consumption policies to support new growth points such as household services, leisure travel, and yachts, and promoting offline consumption activities to stimulate consumer activity in lower-tier markets. In summary, the government is working to improve outbound tax refund services and expand inbound consumption through various policies and initiatives. This includes enhancing tax refund processes, increasing the coverage of tax refund stores, and upgrading the overall tax refund experience for travelers. Additionally, efforts will be made to promote high-quality consumption and provide a favorable environment for international shoppers in China.