ICIF sets up tax refund zone for overseas buyers

Video by Marina Vilchinskaia

A Hong Kong traveler became the first person to receive a departure tax refund at the 21st China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) that was officially inaugurated at Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center yesterday.

Zhao Ziyang from Hong Kong bought a foldable Huawei mobile phone for 8,599 yuan, 400 yuan cheaper compared with the same model sold at Huawei flagship stores.

Zhao Ziyang, a traveler from Hong Kong, is the first person to enjoy departure tax refund at the 21st China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) which opens yesterday. Photo from Shenzhen Special Zone Daily

“I can also enjoy a 9% tax refund, which means I will save another 773 yuan under the tax refund polices,” Zhao said at an interview.

Visitors to the on-gonging 21st ICIF can receive instant cash refund on-site after purchasing tax-refundable goods in the Tax Refund Zone in Hall 10 of the exhibition and convention center.

The Tax Refund Zone for Departing Tourists was jointly established by Shenzhen News Group and the Shenzhen Tax Service of the State Taxation Administration. It was the first time for the ICIF to introduce such service for overseas visitors to the fair, which will run until May 26.

In the zone, the organizers are displaying the latest products of leading companies such as Huawei, DJI, and Honor.

Foreign visitors learn about tax refund policies at a service point set up by the city's taxation authority inside the Tax Refund Zone for Departing Tourists at the 21st ICIF. Shenzhen Daily

The city’s taxation authority has set up a service point inside the zone, where its staffers will explain the tax refund policies and the instant refund procedure in different languages to international visitors, making the refund services more user-friendly.

Known as the "barometer of China's cultural industry development," the ICIF is the country's only national-level, international, and comprehensive cultural expo.

This year's event aims to enhance its roles in internationalization, market orientation, professionalism and digitization, and further solidify its role as a premier trade platform for Chinese cultural exchange and global expansion. 

It is reported that this year's ICIF will bring together 305 overseas exhibitors from 65 countries and regions, along with 35,000 international professional attendees from 110 countries and regions participating both online and offline, with the international participation rate reaching 20%.