Items discovered in two vehicles with suppressed values in invoices. SINGAPORE – More than 13,000 travellers have been fined for evading taxes across air, land and sea checkpoints since January. In total, 13,099 travellers were fined $3,471,043, said the Singapore Customs in a statement on Nov 15.
This is almost double the number of 7,193 travellers caught over the same period in 2023, who were fined a total of $2,303,380. In one case, during a bag inspection, officers discovered various undeclared luxury bags and accessories on a female traveller flying back from a business trip in London. The bags and accessories, which were intended as gifts, were from brands such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Balenciaga.
There were also Pop Mart toys, including Labubu figurines. She was fined $5,000, with a goods and services (GST) tax of $3,963.69 recovered for the items.
According to the Singapore Customs, the traveller admitted she was aware of the GST relief limits, but believed that only personal items required declaration. Another case involved a female traveller who was intercepted in the Singapore Cruise Centre. The woman, a repeat offender, was found to be in possession of both new and used gold jewellery intended for commercial purposes.
Undeclared new and used jewellery discovered on a female traveller intercepted in the Singapore Cruise Centre. PHOTO: SINGAPORE CUSTOMS She was fined $1,935, with GST of $96.95 recovered for the items.
In a third case, .