Customs fines over 13,000 travellers in first 10 months

The fines collected reached more than $3m.

Singapore Customs fined a total of 13,099 travellers caught at air, land, and sea checkpoints for failing to declare dutiable and taxable goods, collecting a total sum of $3.47m in penalties in the first ten months of the year.

This is compared to 7,193 travellers caught, with a total penalty sum of $2.3m in the same period last year.

The Customs worked with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in conducting checks across all checkpoints to detect and deter violations.

Of the total number of cases to date this year, 46 offenders were handed the maximum penalty of $5,000 for making incorrect or incomplete declarations to Customs.

Comparable to last year’s findings, Customs continued to observe common violations involving goods across these categories: commercial goods; apparel and accessories; health and food products; and cigarettes and alcohol.

All goods brought into Singapore by travellers, including foreign visitors and residents, are subject to GST, regardless of any foreign sales or value-added tax paid.

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.

To avoid the hefty penalties and for their own convenience, travellers are encouraged to make an advance declaration and payment for their dutiable or GST goods up to three days before arriving in Singapore using the Customs@SG Web Application.

Payment for taxes can also be made at the Customs Tax Payment Office at the various checkpoints, where Customs officers are available to assist.