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I'm looking into tax free shopping in Japan and I noticed that if I decide to buy consumables tax free then I cannot eat them on the spot. From my understanding, if I buy consumable products at these stores they will give me a sealed bag with my consumables which I have to wait until I leave the country to open it. Why can't I just open up the bag when I leave the store? What is the reason to have that tax free rule implemented?

Edit: I explained the situation more in detail to differentiate between buying from a duty free spot in the airport than tax free shops. If they work the same way let me know.

LampPost
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2 Answers2

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They want to tax goods you consume in the country.

For goods you consume somewhere else you have a real option of buying them somewhere else too; and faced with the possibility that you'd rather do that they prefer letting you not pay the tax and still buy in Japan; at least that will contribute to the local economy.

But for something you use in the country you don't really have an option to go elsewhere, so there's not as compelling an argument you should get out of paying taxes (usually luxury taxes on some kinds of goods).

hmakholm left over Monica
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Because the fact that you are exporting the goods is the critical fact that makes them tax free. If you consume goods in Japan, they're no longer legally exempt from tax.

The requirement to pick them up at the tax-free stand makes it less likely that people will circumvent the tax law by buying tax-free goods for improper purposes.

phoog
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