財政部解惑海淘新稅制 個人出境購免稅額不變

The new tax on imported goods purchased from e-commerce sites will not affect Chinese travelers who buy abroad, the Ministry of Finance said on last Saturday.

財政部上週六表示，電商零售進口商品稅收新政將不會影響出境購物的中國遊客。

Shoppers had expressed concern that a new tax on foreign products, which went into effect on last Friday, would spell trouble for outbound tourists. However, the ministry said the fears stemmed from confusion.

消費者表達了對上週五正式生效的進口商品新稅制的擔心，他們認爲該新稅制將爲出境遊客帶來麻煩。不過財政部稱，這些擔憂源自對政策的理解不到位。

"The new policy targets e-commerce, not individual outbound tourists," People's Daily quoted an unidentified ministry official as saying.

《人民日報》援引財政部不具名官員的話稱：“新稅制只是針對電商，而非出境個人遊客。”

According to the authority, the rules for tourists returning from abroad remain unchanged, with purchases up to the value of RMB5,000 exempt from duties. The new tax relates only to e-commerce platforms that allow consumers to order imported goods online to be delivered through postal services.

據該官員介紹，回國時個人遊客攜帶在境外購買的進境物品免稅額5000元並沒有變化。新稅制僅影響那些允許消費者網購通過郵遞方式進境的進口商品的電商平臺。

The policy is aimed at creating a "level playing field" for cross-border e-commerce sites and brick-and-mortar stores that sell imported goods. It means overseas retail goods bought online are no longer treated as personal postal articles but as imported goods.

這一政策的目的是爲那些跨國電商網站及銷售進口產品的實體店鋪創造一個“公平競爭的環境”。這也意味着在網上購買的海外零售商品將不再被當作個人郵遞物品，而是進口貨物。

Cross-border e-commerce has boomed with the surge in demand for higher-quality products among China's middle class. For a time, websites have enjoyed an edge over other channels, such as onshore duty-free shops, as they did not need to pay tariffs, import value-added tax or consumption tax.

跨境電商的蓬勃發展很大程度上得益於中國中產階級對高質量產品需求的激增。一段時間以來，網站相比其他購買渠道，比如實體免稅店享有優勢，因爲在網站購買商品不需要支付關稅，進口增值稅或消費稅。