• Over 4,000 cases were detected from January to October this year resulting in over $1.4 million in penalties
• Recent operations at the land checkpoints also showed cases involving home ware and furnishings, as well as fashion and personal accessories, are on the rise

            In the first 10 months of this year (January-October 2023), Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints saw 4,669 cases involving travellers and importers who failed to declare and pay duties and Goods and Services Tax (GST) for dutiable and taxable goods. The total amount of duty and GST recovered was $14,190.67 and the total composition sum (penalty) imposed was close to $1,422,460. In its latest operations at these land checkpoints in October, Singapore Customs (Customs), together with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) detected 58 cases and recovered $624.45 in duty and GST. $9,700 in composition sums were imposed. While tobacco-related cases make up half of the cases, cases involving home ware and furnishings, as well as fashion and personal accessories, like parts of furniture items, curtains, luxury bags, shoes and belts, are on the rise. About 28% of the cases from the recent operations are from these categories.

2.          “It is not worth to take a risk and pay more. We have seen people trying to evade duty and GST as low as $10 to as much as $2,000 and they end up paying 10-20 times more. Some may even get charged in courts. We urge all travellers and importers including couriers to use the Customs@SG Web application to declare and pay for their overseas purchases truthfully, including goods carried for or on behalf of other persons,” said a Singapore Customs spokesperson.

3.          During the operations in October, Customs and ICA officers directed more than 200 inbound cars and travellers for enhanced checks. During these examinations, the officers detected a variety of irregularities. The following were some detections for which composition sums were imposed:

a) Importation of goods for sales or commercial purposes by importers and couriers

• A male Work Permit Holder failed to declare 10 sets of night curtains in his vehicle which were intended for commercial use. The amount of GST involved was $60.40 and a composition sum of $600 was imposed.
• Another male Work Permit Holder failed to declare a set of drawer runners and two doors in his vehicle which were intended for commercial use. The amount of GST involved was $12.50 and a composition sum of $125 was imposed.

b) Overseas purchases by travellers

• A female traveller was found with two undeclared luxury bags. The amount of GST involved was $57.65 and a composition sum of $575 was imposed.
• A female traveller was found with two undeclared luxury bags and apparel. The amount of GST involved was $56.45 and a composition sum of $560 was imposed.
• A female traveller was found with one undeclared luxury bag and belt. The amount of GST involved was $31.30 and a composition sum of $310 was imposed.

c) Undeclared cigarettes and tobacco-related products

• A female Singaporean was caught with two packets of undeclared cigarettes concealed around her waistline. As the cigarettes did not comply with the Standardised Packaging (SP) requirements, they were disposed of at the checkpoint.
• A male Singapore Permanent Resident was found with four packets of undeclared cigarettes in his bag at the bus arrival hall. Similar to the above case, the cigarettes were disposed of at the checkpoint as they did not comply with SP requirements.

4.          We will continue to conduct enforcement operations, including joint operations with other government agencies regularly, as part of our ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with Singapore’s customs and tax laws; as well as to ensure the security of our borders.

5.          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 on conviction to a fine of up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded or jailed for up to two years.

6.          To avoid the hefty penalties and for their own convenience, we strongly encourage importers and 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. Those intending to pay for their dutiable and taxable items upon arrival may do so at our Customs Tax Payment Office at the various checkpoints.

7.          If they are unsure of the applicable GST import relief entitlements or duty-free allowances, they 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 on 6355 2000, or referring to our website (https://go.gov.sg/customs-guide-for-arriving-travellers).

8.          From 1 July 2020, all cigarettes and other tobacco products imported into, sold, offered for sale or distributed in Singapore must comply with the SP requirements. Cigarettes and/or tobacco products that do not comply with the SP requirements will be disposed of at the checkpoints. Travellers must ensure that their cigarettes and/or tobacco products comply with the SP requirements before making a declaration and payment via the Customs@SG web application.

9.          For a smooth and hassle-free arrival experience, we would like to remind all importers and travellers to strictly abide by Singapore’s customs and immigration laws as failure to comply may result in penalties and prosecution. The Singapore authorities adopt a zero-tolerance stance on any illegal activities. ICA will continue to conduct security checks at the checkpoints to safeguard our land, air and sea borders against smuggling activities that may pose security threats to Singapore.

SINGAPORE CUSTOMS
IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
9 NOVEMBER 2023

Annex

Customs and ICA officers directed more than 200 inbound cars and travellers for enhanced checks.


Doors and night curtains found during the operations.


Overseas undeclared purchases made by travellers.