Why can’t the Thai government reduce the prices at the pumps?

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, vandeventer said:

Maybe if Thais paid more income tax they could reduce gas prices.

My friend is a Win taxi rider, I once asked him how much tax he had to pay?

He replied 7% on each purchase.

[ujayujay]

I have a Diesel.....

[Peterphuket]

I always fill my tank for 1000 thb, have never problems with high or low prices.

[Andrew65]

8 hours ago, it is what it is said:

 

the duty on fuel can be reduced by the government, but there is no surety that the petroleum companies will pass this reduction on to the customers

The UK gvt did this recently, by 5p/litre. That saves me about £2,50 off an £80 diesel bill, so, not a big deal (in the UK around 60% of fuel cost is tax).

In the few days before this happened the price had risen by 6p/litre at a station that I drive by every day, , so you could see no benefit at all.

Edited April 8, 2022 by Andrew65

[DjSilver]

Is this a joke or what? The prices are already so low they could double without any problems.

[zzaa09]

9 hours ago, sungod said:

I was hoping the article would be giving an explanation rather than dragging up the old questions people have been asking for years. Many of these daily articles just seem to be regurgitated news. 

And never any real challenging or questioning examinations, intelligence or reasonable ideals/opinions in which to pursuit possible resolutions..........and certainly never any follow ups to the original catatonic articles. 

 

News of the usual conventional manner. 

Accepted. 

[orchidfan]

6 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

Surely it should be "why SHOULD the Thai government reduce the prices at the pumps?". Well for certain sectors such as essential services and agriculture that's a good idea and diesel already has been reduced by way of tax cuts. The government cannot control the price of oil nor sensibly force retailers to make a loss (or reduce reasonable profit). Nobody was complaining when diesel was 17 Baht/Litre in May 2020 when a barrel of oil was virtually worthless. It's the open market. One thing for sure that also affects Thailand's tourism economy and many of us on TVF is that our plane tickets in and out are unlikely to ever be the bargain they once were (although many would never concede that plane travel was often underpriced). Who else remembers the days when fuel was 12 Baht/Litre and the exchange rate was 76 Baht to 1 GBP? 

Just booked my wife an Emirates ticket to Hong Kong. 

Just over B4000 (one way).

About the same as a ticket to Phuket during and pre Songkran !

Not too bad 

[sezze]

8 hours ago, rickudon said:

I have never paid more than 40 baht a litre in Thailand (i use E20). I doubt that many pay more than that either. Oil is a precious resource and should not be cheap, it should not be wasted on non-essential uses - should be used for transport only, and even then only when other energy sources are not practicable.

 

Price is fine as far as i am concerned.

Transport is 1 of the least used and needed sources . Most fuel/petroleum is used as precursor for making all you see around you . I inform you how it goes :

Petroleum goes in a cracker , coming out as ethylene and propylene , from there those 2 are directly made into polyeth and polyprop (PE and PP). But another step is making it into ethylene oxide and propylene oxide . Those 2 are very handy precursors for just about everything you use , from soap over paint over medicines or even food additives ....

[digger70]

They can ,Like in Malaysia were the Fuel tax is  subsidised  by the government,It's all about Money If they give Lower fuel prices at the pump they Will have to get the Money that's reduced the fuel  Tax somewhere else .that just means Something else Has to have increased Prices/Tax.

[BangkokReady]

"Why can’t the Thai government reduce the prices at the pumps?"

 

Not enough tourism money to subsidise the Thai people's lives right now?

[BangkokReady]

11 hours ago, sungod said:

I was hoping the article would be giving an explanation rather than dragging up the old questions people have been asking for years.

Me too. Normally when an article has the headline "How does...?" it doesn't end by saying "we'd like to know too".

[BangkokReady]

7 hours ago, tingtong said:

So here is the big question:

Why can't large international corporations pay similar salaries to their workers doing the same job?

Why can't governments demand that?

Well, depending on the industry, being forced to pay their workers the same rate as they do back home might remove the incentive to have their business in poor countries in the first place.

 

Obviously somewhere like McDonald's is more difficult, as they want access to the local market. Food in McDonald's appears to be similarly priced in Thailand as it does in the West, but the cost of running the business and food supplies must cost more due to the location, so perhaps the wages are a factor in keeping the price low enough that people can actually afford to buy their food. So if they paid their workers the same wages, again, it might not be worth running their business in Thailand.

 

I Realise that some Western fast food businesses might be franchises, but I think the above still stands.

[Thailand]

7 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

I always fill my tank for 1000 thb, have never problems with high or low prices.

That is exactly what I do. I have never checked the price of the fuel that I buy.

And no, I have never taken any notice of how far that ฿ 1000 has transported me.

[Flink]

15 hours ago, it is what it is said:

 

the duty on fuel can be reduced by the government, but there is no surety that the petroleum companies will pass this reduction on to the customers

That is undoubtably true. Mind you, come a budget announcement and an increase in fuel duty you can bet the prices at the pumps are raised within 24 hours. Odd that, because if the government raises the duty on Tinned beans it is illegal for the supermarket to increase the price on the tins they already have in stock. Wonder why filling stations get away with it? That being said, this is Thailand, they'd be out repricing the beans on the shelves, never mind the stock room.

[billd766]

13 hours ago, itsari said:

If the Thai Government reduce the taxes on fuel further then there will be a problem meeting there annual budget .

There so called oil fund which is subsidizing diesel prices is actually borrowed money by the state .

Any further cuts will mean borrowing more money .

Park the pick up and get on the motorcycle is the best way to reduce expenditure on fuel .

Reduce speed limits could be a great idea for Thailand with a double barreled affect of saving energy and lives at the same time .

Park the pick up and get on the motorcycle is the best way to reduce expenditure on fuel 

 

Great plan. Can you tell me how I can get a months bulk shopping onto a motorbike and ride it 65km back home? Especially if it is raining.

[Speedhump]

13 hours ago, itsari said:

If the Thai Government reduce the taxes on fuel further then there will be a problem meeting there annual budget .

There so called oil fund which is subsidizing diesel prices is actually borrowed money by the state .

Any further cuts will mean borrowing more money .

Park the pick up and get on the motorcycle is the best way to reduce expenditure on fuel .

Reduce speed limits could be a great idea for Thailand with a double barreled affect of saving energy and lives at the same time .

You have to be crazy or stupid to want to travel on two wheels in Thailand. I'm neither. 

[sead]

Dear god. In Sweden were at 2.5 USD per liter and yet people complain