According to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce on Friday, the central government and authorities in Macau and Hong Kong have agreed to increase the limit for mainland tourists visiting the two cities.
A separate joint-statement from several central government departments said that mainland residents aged 18 or over could have their duty-free allowance raised to 12,000 yuan, and the limit could be further increased to 15,000 yuan if they shopped at duty-free stores at border crossings.
Currently, visitors from across the border must pay a tax of 13 to 50 per cent to the mainland government for purchases made in Hong Kong above a threshold of 5,000 yuan per trip, a measure introduced in 1996.
Six crossings will be covered by the initial roll-out of the new limit: Lo Wu, Futian, Shenzhen Bay, the West Kowloon high speed rail terminus, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and Gongbei. The full implementation begins on August 1.
The Post earlier reported Beijing’s intention to raise the allowance level, but the amount would be “far below” the 30,000 yuan proposed by industry representatives in the city.
Tourism and retail industry representatives have been urging mainland authorities to increase the threshold since the reopening of borders after the pandemic, as big-spending visitors were found to be opting for more cultural experiences rather than pure shopping.
The city’s currency is also expensive for such visitors because of its peg to the US dollar.
More to follow …
