FOREIGN tourists who spend more than 500 yuan (US$81) at designated shops in Shanghai might be entitled to a departure tax rebate in the future, officials said yesterday.

The city’s finance, tax, commerce, customs and tourism authorities have begun considering which agencies and shops should be involved in the new scheme, Jin Weimin, deputy director of the Shanghai Finance Bureau, told a press conference.

The aim is to make Shanghai one of the first batch of cities and provinces — after Hainan Province — to implement the refund policy for overseas tourists, he said.