Thailand set to delay collection of 300 baht tourist fee

[webfact]

Passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport. File photo

 

By Online Reporter

 

Thailand is set to delay the collection of a proposed tourist fee from all international visitors for at least two months.

 

The 300 baht tourist fee was set to be collected from all foreign tourists from April 1.

However, implementation of the fee will likely be delayed because details of how the fee will actually be collected are yet to be finalised.

 

The delay is due to two main issues. For tourists arriving by air, the fee is expected to be added as a form of tax when purchasing an airline ticket.

 

Full story: https://www.huahintoday.com/thailand-news/thailand-set-to-delay-collection-of-300-baht-tourist-fee/

 

-- © Copyright Hua Hin Today 2022-02-12

 

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[kwonitoy]

No tourists, no 300 baht fee.

[daveAustin]

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

The delay is due to two main issues. For tourists arriving by air, the fee is expected to be added as a form of tax when purchasing an airline ticket.

… and #2, we are already doing well with hospital admissions. 

[ThailandRyan]

Brown envelopes to be issued on board the flights as they land, 300 Baht to be placed inside by tourist, as the tourist reaches the Immigration desk, the envelope is to be placed on the underside of the TM6 form......problem solved......lol

[RandiRona]

Take 300 more but stop with that quarantine charade!!

[ezzra]

somehow i think there will be some sort of other tax/levy in the coming weeks, not like the Thai government NOT to collect something from the "rich" tourists...

Edited February 11, 2022 by ezzra

[tingtongfarang]

Have a friend arriving on the 26th , i warned him about the hospital quaratine scam and he said...i have insurance???? single guy from germany they will most likely use this government designed scam,

Have sent the video warning people not to come to thailand, will see what happens.

[Guest Isaanlife]

Transportation department trying to figure out how to get their hands on the cash!

[Oxx]

Why is it that in every article one sees this is referred to as a "tourist tax"? It's not a tourist tax:  it's a tax on foreigners.  No exemption for foreigners who actually live here.

 

(Incidentally, does anyone know whether it'll apply to migrant workers from neighbouring countries?)

[Babydodo]

300 Baht is only £6.80, $9.20.

Dunno what everyone is shouting and moaning about!
Maybe, all those millionaire Expat retirees that always seem to have negative thoughts on this forum.

[RichardColeman]

I imagine if some of this 300 baht covered some of your hospital bills, then they may well be delaying it whilst they sort out some scam with the insurance companies so you need both !

[sungod]

1 hour ago, Babydodo said:

300 Baht is only £6.80, $9.20.

Dunno what everyone is shouting and moaning about!
Maybe, all those millionaire Expat retirees that always seem to have negative thoughts on this forum.

Thats 6 large Changs outside 7-11 !!!

[law ling]

I thought it was to be B500 from Jan 1st? ... then B300 from April 1st, now pushed back again ... if they stumble at small, easy things like this, what does it say about the government's overall competence?

[Chang_paarp]

3 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

(Incidentally, does anyone know whether it'll apply to migrant workers from neighbouring countries?)

It depends how they arrive in the country.

 

Are you referring to those who arrive legally to work legally? Or the majority?

[Artisi]

Typical Thai flip-flop  -- yes we will, no we won't, yes we will, no not yet 

[mtls2005]

You'd think someone, anyone would know how to implement this? But no, of course they don't.

 

Announced in January, money raised from the fee will be put into a central fund which will help to develop tourist attractions, as well as help to establish an accident and death insurance fund for all tourists.

 

The maximum payout in the event of a death would be limited to 1 million baht and 500,000 baht for medical expenses.

 

 

Tourist bounty?

 

 

Curious to see how this insurance thing really works out.

 

I suspect someone wants to route the 300 baht to a different trough than the 700 baht (AOT?).

 

 

[Jumbo1968]

So if a Tourist Tax would you have to pay if you have a visa and live in Thailand ?

[spidermike007]

It deos not matter. Tourism has already been slaughtered by the goons. They shot the Golden Goose 135 times, with high caliber ammunition. It might be revived to a very minor degree. Maybe as many as 5 million tourists a year by 2028. Maybe.

 

Cowardice. Timidity. Fear. Ignorance. Xenophobia. All recipes for tourism disaster. Woe is the land of the forgotten. 

[Muhendis]

6 hours ago, Babydodo said:

300 Baht is only £6.80, $9.20.

Dunno what everyone is shouting and moaning about!
Maybe, all those millionaire Expat retirees that always seem to have negative thoughts on this forum.

Oh come off it. Nobody is worried about such a piddling amount per tourist.

Problem is there will be, according to TAT, millions of tourists and therefore hundreds of millions of Baht generated but what does the tourist get out of it. So far there is nothing on offer. It has been suggested that this is to repay hospitals for the unpaid tourist bills but I don't think so somehow. 

[jacko45k]

6 hours ago, Babydodo said:

300 Baht is only £6.80, $9.20.

Dunno what everyone is shouting and moaning about!
Maybe, all those millionaire Expat retirees that always seem to have negative thoughts on this forum.

WHAT! I thought this 300 baht charge applied only to tourists... not us Expats!

That's it, off to Philippines or Vietnam, spend my millions there!

[ourmanflint]

6 hours ago, Babydodo said:

300 Baht is only £6.80, $9.20.

Dunno what everyone is shouting and moaning about!
Maybe, all those millionaire Expat retirees that always seem to have negative thoughts on this forum.

What a ridiculous comment. It might not be much to you but it could be a lot to someone else, especially those crossing at land borders who will have to pay from now on

[Bluespunk]

4 hours ago, law ling said:

I thought it was to be B500 from Jan 1st? ... then B300 from April 1st, now pushed back again ... if they stumble at small, easy things like this, what does it say about the government's overall competence?

That it requires an “in” prefix before the word competence. . 

Edited February 12, 2022 by Bluespunk
Missing word.

[Muhendis]

4 minutes ago, ourmanflint said:

especially those crossing at land borders who will have to pay from now on

Only a problem for the legal ones.

[DFPhuket]

I've already purchased a ticket on Qatar leaving Thailand in June and returning in July. It will be interesting to see if they try to make this retroactive for tickets already purchased and the mess that would occur if they try to collect 300 baht. 

 

Logically, the tax should be effective for tickets purchased on and after a particular future date. But logic is irrelevant in this case. 

[sandyf]

6 hours ago, Oxx said:

Why is it that in every article one sees this is referred to as a "tourist tax"? It's not a tourist tax:  it's a tax on foreigners.  No exemption for foreigners who actually live here.

 

(Incidentally, does anyone know whether it'll apply to migrant workers from neighbouring countries?)

Out of the 40 or so countries that implement a tourist tax, tell us which one does not tax foreigners.

In most countries the tax is collected on a nightly basis per person by hotels, if you check in with a foreign passport you pay the tax, irrespective of where you live. Should the delay result in a similar system, maybe you would find that more preferable.

 

The original articles indicated that the tax would not be applied to migrant labour.

[The Old Bull]

So if you do a visa run to Laos they will stiff you B300 when you come back?

[Isaan sailor]

39 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

It deos not matter. Tourism has already been slaughtered by the goons. They shot the Golden Goose 135 times, with high caliber ammunition. It might be revived to a very minor degree. Maybe as many as 5 million tourists a year by 2028. Maybe.

 

Cowardice. Timidity. Fear. Ignorance. Xenophobia. All recipes for tourism disaster. Woe is the land of the forgotten. 

And don’t forget currency.  Ten years ago, I came here as a tourist, considering places to retire as a single guy. You better believe I looked at currency (Baht much lower then).

[connda]

9 hours ago, kwonitoy said:

No tourists, no 300 baht fee.

Not true.  No tourists.  Need 1200 THB fee.

[Puccini]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

...WHAT! I thought this 300 baht charge applied only to tourists... not us Expats!

That's it, off to Philippines or Vietnam, spend my millions there!

We shan't know until, if ever, this new tax or fee is approved and published in the Government Gazette.

 

In the first news article I read about this, it was called a fee to be collected from foreign arrivals, whereby "foreign" was understood to be a reference to the point of origin of travellers arriving in Thailand, not a reference to their nationalities.

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by Puccini

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, Puccini said:

We shan't know until, if ever, this new tax or fee is approved and published in the Government Gazette.

 

In the first news article I read about this, it was called a fee to be collected from foreign arrivals, whereby "foreign" was understood to be a reference to the point of origin of travellers arriving in Thailand, not a reference to their nationalities.

 

If it is applied into the airfare I would expect everyone to get hit, even Thais.