Shanghai hopes to offer tax rebate to foreign visitors
City is lobbying the central government for inclusion in expanded refund programme
Shanghai is seeking permission from the central government to offer overseas tourists a tax refund on a minimum of 500 yuan (HK$630) in purchases in a bid to draw more visitors, a finance official has said.
The city hopes to give visitors a better deal than what's offered in Hainan, where tourists can get back 11 per cent after spending at least 800 yuan.
Jin Weimin, a deputy director of the Shanghai Finance Bureau, told a government conference on Tuesday the city hoped designated shops would offer the rebate, but he didn't elaborate on which ones would be chosen, according to records of the meeting reviewed by the South China Morning Post.
Hainan began offering overseas tourists the 11 per cent rebate, claimable upon departure, in 2011, the first mainland provincial-level region allowed to do so.
Jin said that a tax rebate rate in Shanghai would also likely be 11 per cent.
The Ministry of Finance is expected to publish a detailed rule about the issue this month.