离境退税：即买即退轻松拿回消费“余额”

Core Insights - The outbound tax refund policy in China allows foreign travelers to reclaim VAT on purchases made in designated stores, which has been progressively implemented nationwide since its pilot in Hainan in 2011 [1][2] - In the first nine months of this year, the number of foreign travelers processing tax refunds increased by 229.8%, while the total refund amount rose by 97.4% compared to the previous year [1] - The tax authorities are enhancing the efficiency of the refund process by integrating tax information systems and introducing QR code functionalities, resulting in a 45% increase in refund processing efficiency [1] Group 1 - The tax refund policy has been optimized this year to stimulate foreign traveler spending in China [1] - New measures include the establishment of "immediate refund" services for travelers whose shopping and departure locations differ, with mutual recognition of refund processing between various regions [1][2] - The tax authorities are setting up centralized refund points in major shopping districts in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, allowing travelers to shop at multiple locations and process refunds at a single point [2] Group 2 - New features such as "mobile refund" and "one-click refund" through platforms like Alipay have been introduced to enhance the efficiency of the refund process [2] - The tax authorities aim to continuously improve the convenience of the outbound tax refund service to attract more foreign travelers to shop in China, thereby boosting inbound tourism consumption [2]