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Law' of The Rings
Two Malaysians learnt that they were required to pay Customs duty and/or Goods & Services Tax (GST) for goods imported for trade, commercial or business purposes and to produce the necessary documents at the checkpoint. On 26 Feb 2004 at about 1050 hours, the two men had tried to bring in diamond rings and jewellery without the proper documents through the Arrival Car Green Channel at Woodlands Checkpoint, which was meant for those with no taxable or dutiable goods to declare. However, they were stopped by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers who were conducting routine checks on their Malaysia registered car. Upon checking the car boot, our ICA officers found two bags containing diamond jewellery.
2 The two Malaysians, both aged 30 years old claimed that they were sales representatives from Malaysia and were bringing back the jewellery to Singapore. They claimed that the jewellery were from Singapore and were brought to Malaysia about three years ago. However, they did not have any documentary proof of export as well as import invoices. The estimated market value of the jewellery is about S$130,000. The GST-unpaid jewellery was seized and the case has been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
3 ICA would like to remind traders that they should produce the relevant permits and all supporting documents to checkpoint officers when clearing cargoes at the entry points. For import of goods for local consumption, the duties and/or GST have to be paid before the goods can be released for entry. If found guilty, the offenders could be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of custom duties and GST involved. ICA has tightened our security checks on passengers and vehicles/vessels at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contraband. ICA officers at the checkpoints maintain a high level of vigilance at all times and are trained to profile potential offenders.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
27 Feb 2004
2 The two Malaysians, both aged 30 years old claimed that they were sales representatives from Malaysia and were bringing back the jewellery to Singapore. They claimed that the jewellery were from Singapore and were brought to Malaysia about three years ago. However, they did not have any documentary proof of export as well as import invoices. The estimated market value of the jewellery is about S$130,000. The GST-unpaid jewellery was seized and the case has been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
3 ICA would like to remind traders that they should produce the relevant permits and all supporting documents to checkpoint officers when clearing cargoes at the entry points. For import of goods for local consumption, the duties and/or GST have to be paid before the goods can be released for entry. If found guilty, the offenders could be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of custom duties and GST involved. ICA has tightened our security checks on passengers and vehicles/vessels at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contraband. ICA officers at the checkpoints maintain a high level of vigilance at all times and are trained to profile potential offenders.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
27 Feb 2004