Arrested: Woman who evaded GST on $11k worth of branded goods bought overseas

Photo: 
Singapore Customs/Facebook
Photo: Singapore Customs/Facebook

A 25-year-old woman was arrested at Changi Airport for failing to declare the branded goods she bought overseas for Goods and Services Tax (GST) payment, according to a Facebook post by the Singapore Customs yesterday.

The Singaporean, who had arrived on a flight from Paris last Friday, had branded handbags and accessories worth more than S$11,000 in her possession. The items were discovered when her luggage was checked as she headed to the customs green channel exit without declaring her purchases.

According to the Singapore Customs, travelers are responsible for making “accurate and complete” declarations of the taxable and dutiable items they have. Under the Customs Act, anyone found guilty of fraudulent evasion of GST can face a fine up to 20 times the amount of tax evaded and/or be sentenced to a maximum of two years in jail.

The Singapore Customs site states that all new items, souvenirs, gifts and food products are subject to seven percent GST — but travelers who’ve been away for more than 48 hours can get GST relief for S$600 worth of goods, while those who spend less than 48 hours overseas are granted GST relief of S$150.

At the end of the day, it probably wasn’t worth her while to evade GST only to have all the happy holiday vibes ruined by getting arrested.



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