• Home
• GOVERNMENT CXO
• E-GOVERNMENT
• CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT
• TAX AND REVENUE MANAGEMENT
• GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT
• GREEN GOVERNMENT
• GOVERNMENT DATA MANAGEMENT
• GOVERNMENT SECURITY
• GOVERNMENT CLOUD
• GOVERNMENT ANALYTICS
• GOVERNMENT GIS
• CONNECTED GOVERNMENT
• DIGITAL INCLUSION
• EDUCATION IT
• HEALTHCARE IT

Tax and Revenue Management

Singapore launches first electronic tourist refund scheme

By Clarice Africa | 11 November 2011

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore officially launched on Wednesday, the world’s first Electronic Tourist Refund Scheme (eTRS) which will cut down the Goods and Services Tax (GST) refund process time for tourists from 20 minutes down to three minutes.

The first GST refund system was introduced in 1994. It was a paper-based system wherein the tourist would be given different types of GST refund application forms. The tourist then would have to take time to fill up the forms, submit the forms to the Singapore Customs at the airport, get the forms stamped, and queue at different counters to claim the cash refund.

With the eTRS, all the time consuming processes done before are now automated. Tourists no longer have to fill-up forms and stand in long queues. All that will be needed will be a quick swipe of one’s passport and credit card at the eTRS kiosks to retrieve records of the purchases, followed by a few keystrokes to instruct the system to pay the GST refund into a specific credit card account.

“With the eTRS, the time taken to complete the refund claim process is reduced by at least 80 percent! It used to take about 20 minutes with the manual form-filling system, and an unknown period of time for queuing, depending on how many people are claiming refunds, but now it will take only about three minutes with the electronic system,” said Josephine Teo, Minister of State for Finance and Transport.

Furthermore, tourists may also choose to claim their refunds in cash at the Central Refund Counter at the Departure Transit Lounge after scanning their receipts, which will only take an additional two minutes.

Minister Teo said that the eTRS also contributes in enhancing overall tourist experience since the consistency of the refund process makes it easier for them to understand how to make their GST claims.

Meanwhile, the Minister noted that retailers also benefit from the system as they can now operate on a single, consolidate system which then gives their staff more time to focus on how to better improve customer service delivery.

“We have started eTRS for some time now. Between May and October this year, more than 147,000 claims totaling SG$11.2 million (US$8.6 million) in GST refunds have already been made by tourists via the eTRS,even before its official launch on 9 November,” the Minister said.

Tweet

---