115 travellers caught at Changi Airport for failing to declare taxable goods like cigarettes, liquor, luxury bags

SINGAPORE — The authories have caught 115 travellers at Changi Airport for failing to declare and pay duties on cigarettes, liquor, luxury bags and watches, among other items, imposing close to S$28,000 in penalties.

The Singapore Customs and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said in a press statement on Monday (May 29) that they recovered about S$18,500 worth of duties and Goods and Services Tax (GST), after a joint-enforcement operation conducted from May 15 to 21.

Some of the goods recovered included:

• Five undeclared luxury bags bought by a male Singaporean and his girlfriend overseas, valued at S$13,825 with S$1,106 in GST involved
• One undeclared luxury watch and one luxury bag bought by a female Singaporean, with a total value of S$5,637. The amount of GST involved was S$450.96
• Six packets of undeclared cigarettes wrapped in foil wrapper bought by a male foreigner 
• A falsely declared bottle of whisky as GST goods using the Customs@SG mobile application, with an excise duty worth S$15.14. This was by an employment pass holder 

Under the Customs Act, any person who is in any way concerned in any fraudulent evasion of, or attempt to fraudulently evade, any customs duty or excise duty shall be guilty of an offence and will be liable to a fine of up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, or jailed for up to two years, if convicted.

“To avoid the hefty penalties and for their own convenience, we strongly encourage travellers to make an advance declaration and payment for their dutiable or GST goods up to three days prior to their arrival in Singapore, using the Customs@SG web application,” the two agencies said.

Alternatively, travellers who intend to pay for their dutiable and taxable items upon arrival may do so at the Customs Tax Payment Office at the various checkpoints.

Travellers who are in doubt about the applicable GST import relief entitlements or duty-free allowances may also consult Singapore Customs officers at the Customs Tax Payment Office.

Members of the public can obtain more information by calling the Singapore Customs hotline at 6355 2000, or refer to the Customs website at https://go.gov.sg/customs-guide-for-arriving-travellers for more information.