Chitchat Woman arrested at Changi Airport for failing to declare branded items worth over $11,000 for GST pay

[bobby]

SINGAPORE - A 25-year-old woman was arrested at Changi Airport last Friday (Jan 12) after she failed to declare the branded items she bought overseas for Goods and Services Tax (GST) payment.

Singapore Customs, in a Facebook post on Tuesday night, said the woman - a Singaporean - had arrived on a flight from Paris.

Officers checked her luggage when she tried to exit through the Customs Green Channel without declaring the items, which were worth more than $11,000, for GST payment.

Photos posted on Facebook showed at least two handbags, several wallets and a belt.

Investigations are ongoing.

In the post, the Singapore Customs said that travellers are responsible for making "an accurate and complete declaration of the taxable and dutiable items in their possession".

Those found guilty of fraudulent evasion of GST may face a fine of up to 20 times the amount of tax evaded and/ or a jail term of up to two years.

 

[bobby]

WTF...can afford airfare to Paris but cannot pay $770 GST.

 

[Truth_Hurts]

If 1 item of each etc still ok. But a whole lot. Sure asking for trouble n cmon...this is really wasting time just to catch ppl travelling n paying gst..like tat everyone is guilty.

 

[Cottonmouth]

This sort of thing is happening daily, nothing new.

The vault has already been emptied, Lanjiao Loong is finding ways and means to fill up that hole.

 

[Hangover]

I think we can bring in only $600 worth of merchandise when we re-enter through airport.

- Judging from the confiscation, there is no indication that this girl is a reseller, spending an air tix to europe to buy $10K of goods is not a shrewd business move, unless she is doing this very often and customs find a whole warehouse of unpaid luxury goods in her place. On surface, the quantity in the photo appears to be for personal use or gifts for family/friends.

- Does anyhow know how much each pax can bring in, when they re-enter through Woodlands or Tuas Checkpoint? Everyone buys a whole car load of daily necessities from Johor supermarket right?

- $600 threshold is not realistic. GST-Free shopping for luxury goods occurs in our Arrival Hall or departure hall of foreign airports, how is that enforceable without retaliation from foreign airports? You mean, this girl cannot shop for >$600 of luxury goods in foreign airport's Duty Free shops?


This has been a grey area and customs usually don't enforce it unless you are a merchant, or it involves alcohols and tobacco.
Showcasing this on local media hints that GST hike is really coming.

 

[Hangover]

So if the woman is not a merchant, the issue is with our enforcement system

 

[Dark Knight]

Does that mean if a rich chap got himself only a high end Rolex which worth more than 10K also need to declare and pay GST?
That defeat the purpose of promoting tourism which attract tourist to go for high end shopping in foreign countries.

 

[sweetiepie]

This sort of thing is happening daily, nothing new.

The vault has already been emptied, Lanjiao Loong is finding ways and means to fill up that hole.

my uncle say again lhl say if there is no crime then i worry.

 

[rambo22]

if our ministers ghost overseas and buy many things

do you think they will pay GST or not ?

 

[think_lees]

WTF...can afford airfare to Paris but cannot pay $770 GST.

In the 1st place the entire purpose of her trip could had been to spend $$ without paying PAP any GST.

PAP these days are so hard up have to arrest and charge people to frighten / intimidate tax runners.

 

[Scrooball (clone)]

The problem w this chick is that she kept the boxes.

 

[sweetiepie]

In the 1st place the entire purpose of her trip could had been to spend $$ without paying PAP any GST.

PAP these days are so hard up have to arrest and charge people to frighten / intimidate tax runners.

my uncle say meanwhile pap have lost 1 vote . he say the lady will be handcuff and detained as an accused and thrown in cell just for shopping lol.

 

[Scrooball (clone)]

All these are small monies. Now the Govt is targeting those frequent minor transactions online. They can make a lot from taxation from those amazon and honest bee shit.

 

[eatshitndie]

the rules are here. for example, if you're bringing in a brand new iphone x from the apple park store in cupertino worth s$1296 as a gift for your mistress in sg, you have to declare the balance of s$696 as s$600 is granted gst relief. or you can use it (no longer brand new) before you enter sg, depreciate the value to s$600 by smearing shit on it and try to enter your mistress' butthole when you present a used and shitty phone to her.

https://www.gov.sg/factually/content/is-it-true-that-i-have-to-pay-gst-on-items-purchased-overseas

 

[red amoeba]

Just declare one purse for 601 n pay gst. Don’t declare the rest of 100k worth of goods. Small price to pay. 7% of 600 only 42 nia. Sup sup water.

 

[kulgai]

Does that mean if a rich chap got himself only a high end Rolex which worth more than 10K also need to declare and pay GST?
That defeat the purpose of promoting tourism which attract tourist to go for high end shopping in foreign countries.

Wear the rolex and throw away the boxes. confirmed no problem.

 

[KanTouKi]

The problem w this chick is that she kept the boxes.

Exactly.. She should have ‘used’ them... Really ‘no-brainer’..

 

[chonburifc]

Just declare one purse for 601 n pay gst. Don’t declare the rest of 100k worth of goods. Small price to pay. 7% of 600 only 42 nia. Sup sup water.

Yup. the same tactic for rokok. If no balls to go through green channel, declare half of the rokok and show the green channel customs the receipt. Even declared all still slightly cheaper than outside.

 

[sweetiepie]

Exactly.. She should have ‘used’ them... Really ‘no-brainer’..

my uncle say do not underestimate the stupidity of young educated sinkie. he say 1 he know even give her bank account number to a unknown telephone caller. he say she also upload mma sparring video of no punches hit at opponent and still felt proud of each punching and dodging each other.

 

[chonburifc]

Changi airport customs very experience is spotting all these petty smugglers. Most of the time they just close one eye. You think they dont know the sinkie travellers tabao few packets of rokok meh? Just that they have to stop and check random travellers, and notice they tend to check sinkie travellers than foreigners.