7 Chinese Accused of Unfair Resale of Duty-Free Goods

Osaka, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)--The Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau has recognized that seven Chinese people failed to pay some 760 million yen in consumption tax over unfair resale of duty-free goods, it was learned Wednesday.

The seven are believed to have been serving as "buyers" of duty-free goods, using funds provided from a group repeating resale of such products.

According to informed sources, the seven came to Japan around 2020 on tourist visas. They have since bought bags, watches, cosmetics and other duty-free goods worth a total of some 7.7 billion yen at department stores in the western Japan city of Osaka.

The taxation bureau examined electronic data of purchase records submitted by the department stores and other evidence, and found no trace of the goods being shipped abroad, the sources said.

The bureau is demanding the seven Chinese pay all the unpaid tax amount, but has so far collected only 2 million yen as most of them have already left Japan.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]