A permanent resident here tried to get a tourist to claim a Goods and Services Tax (GST) refund of a luxury watch but immediately got his plan backfired.
Instead of getting a hefty $2,911.21 refund, Zheng Da Fei had to fork out $4,500 in fines for attempting to make false declarations and abuse the tourist refund scheme, Channel NewsAsia reports.
In May 2014, Zheng approached a Chinese tourist at Changi Airport, asking him to claim a GST refund for a $44,500 luxury watch purchased by his wife. As he was a permanent resident, he was not eligible for the refund.
Zheng was promptly arrested by Singapore Customs officers at the airport, and he could was almost given the maximum fine of $5,000.
