Thai woman with foreign husband furious at having to pay 54,000 baht on designer goods

[webfact]

Picture: Sanook

 

Sanook reported on a post on the Facebook page of a woman called Pang Ban about her experience arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday afternoon.

 

The upshot was that they had to pay 54,000 baht tax on designer goods. Most of them had already been used, she claimed. 

 

She warned other travellers about this and complained about heavy handed tactics of Thai customs personnel. 

 

She said that this was their first trip back to Thailand in two years. It was just a visit, they live abroad. They appeared to have just come from South Korea, notes ASEAN NOW.

 

All was proceeding well at immigration until they wheeled their bags to the customs area and were pulled aside and an x-ray scan was done. 

 

Then they were taken to a room where 8 or 9 customs officers surrounded them and went through their bags with a fine tooth comb.

 

They were not interested in food and souvenirs - they were interested in brand name items like Gucci.

 

Officers reminded them that designer items were limited to 20,000 baht value per person. 

 

The couple claimed that most of the items - clothes, wallets, sunglasses, bags, jewelry - were bought abroad and would be taken out of Thailand when they returned home abroad. 

 

Some shoes were brand new and were a present for a relative and they claimed a Gucci jacket had been worn.

 

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"Smell it if you don't believe me", she said referencing the aroma of dry-cleaning.

 

The customs official allegedly did just that. 

 

She said that she was taken to another room and searched and her jewelry such as bracelet, ring, necklace and earrings were removed. 

 

Customs said that they would confiscate all the dutiable items if they didn't pay 54,000 baht. 

 

In addition they would be blacklisted from coming again. Presumably this just referred to the foreign partner, notes ASEAN NOW. 

 

They paid up with an electronic transfer according to a picture published by Sanook.

 

"If you have designer brand goods beware," she warned. "It's terrible", she complained. 

 

Netizens commented in numbers advising that evidence of purchase from the start of journeys was needed and that goods could be held under a Customs Bond for reexport. 

 

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[steven100]

welcome to Lieland  ... er sorry '   Thailand 

[CharlieH]

That'll encourage the "high roller" tourists they claim to want to visit Thailand.

 

Always about the MONEY !

 

 

 

 

[Denim]

Time to ditch the fake Rolex and fake Gucci wallet for my next trip.

[SAFETY FIRST]

17 minutes ago, webfact said:

Then they were taken to a room where 8 or 9 customs officers surrounded them and went through their bags with a fine tooth comb

I travel in my old board shorts and thongs (flip flops).

 

Oh yeah, and my XXXX bitter singlet. 

 

 

 

 

[JoePai]

3 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I travel in my old board shorts and thongs (flip flops).

 

Oh yeah, and my XXXX bitter singlet. 

 

 

 

 

And maybe a 'bum bag' to complete the vision ?

[sammieuk1]

My designer pants by George of Asda are considered contraband I must declare them at once ???? 

[pokerface1]

Time to start catching up on all the lost revenue. The desperation of some starts as soon as you step off the plane. 

[Henryford]

Should have bought fakes in Thailand.

[Dmaxdan]

If you can afford genuine designer goods then you can afford the customs charges

[OneMoreFarang]

Nobody ever complained about my 150B Sukhumvit T-Shirts.

Just don't buy that expensive useless designer stuff.

[2long]

They MIGHT be genuine tourists who bought and used the goods outside Thailand, in which case duty is not due. Whether or not they plan to take them when they leave makes no difference.

 

However, there are many cases of people claiming that items are for personal use or have already been worn, but plan to sell them for a profit, in which case the Customs guys are just doing their jobs.

 

Who are we to know for sure?

 

But as @Dmaxdan rightly points out, if they're wealthy enough to have these items, then they can afford to pay the tax.

[JonnyF]

Why not remove these silly luxury taxes? Then foreign tourists will come here on shopping trips and spend a fortune in the Thai malls (and hotels, restaurants etc.), instead of Thais saving all their money and spending it on hotels, restaurants and malls in Singapore?

[DezLez]

49 minutes ago, Denim said:

Time to ditch the fake Rolex and fake Gucci wallet for my next trip.

No! Keep them and just  the fines with your fake Thai banknotes!

[scubascuba3]

Did they get a receipt? if not, a definite scam, Thais can't help themselves

[RJRS1301]

37 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

If you can afford genuine designer goods then you can afford the customs charges

When one has already purchased them, and they have been used? Plain thievery.

Paying duty on previously owned jewellery is outrageous they tried that one on me once, watch  I was carrying in hand luggage in its original case.  

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Officers reminded them that designer items were limited to 20,000 baht value per person. 

After all, "designer items" sold in Thailand usually cost way less than 20,000 baht... ????

[Ohyesuare]

10 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Did they get a receipt? if not, a definite scam, Thais can't help themselves

There's a picture of the receipt in the article. 

[worgeordie]

There was an exact same thing not long ago, on here , 

well she got her 15 mins of fame , and all her friends

on Farcebook , now know she has expensive Farang

nick nacks......

regards Worgeordie

[cliveshep]

Yet more grist to the mill of anti-tourism to Thailand. Simply put if you are fairly wealthy with high priced goods and clothing - don't come to Thailand, you'll leave naked and broke. To quote a quotation I read recently where a Thai Customs Officer said they could impose punitive dues and a box empty except for air if they chose such is their powers.

 

So I'd say go elsewhere or leave expensive goods behind along with your money. 54,000 for personal possessions if the woman was telling the truth is simply armed robbery by customs officers and shows Thailand to be a land of thieves and corrupt officials and a place best avoided - is that the real message TAT wants to show the world?

[Lemsta69]

8 minutes ago, cliveshep said:

Yet more grist to the mill of anti-tourism to Thailand. Simply put if you are fairly wealthy with high priced goods and clothing - don't come to Thailand, you'll leave naked and broke. To quote a quotation I read recently where a Thai Customs Officer said they could impose punitive dues and a box empty except for air if they chose such is their powers.

 

So I'd say go elsewhere or leave expensive goods behind along with your money. 54,000 for personal possessions if the woman was telling the truth is simply armed robbery by customs officers and shows Thailand to be a land of thieves and corrupt officials and a place best avoided - is that the real message TAT wants to show the world?

go elsewhere? what, like the UK or Europe or USA where the prices are through the roof because of all the rich people skimming off the top and not paying taxes?

 

oh I should add Australia to that list. ATO hounds poor people to pay their tax debts but lets Google et al get away with paying zero tax. or even giving tax refunds to some corporations.

 

if that's not corruption I don't know what is. Thailand is a minnow compared to the scam that the Western countries have been pulling on their citizens for centuries.

 

 

[steven100]

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Oh yeah, and my XXXX bitter singlet

like a wife beater ....   

[shackleton]

If you can afford to pay for original Designer goods then you can afford the tax enough said 

[spidermike007]

Customs is a racket, just like immigration, the border patrol, the RTP, and the army. They are all corrupt beyond imagination. And the level of corruption simply escalates, the further up the food chain you go. The police and army are not expected to be honest, and they are not expected to engage in law enforcement, traffic or public safety, on any level. It is an irrevocably broken and dysfunctional system. Any hyperbole to the contrary, is just a smoke screen, intended to deceive the most naive amongst us.

The Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT) is one of the most feeble and ineffective of all the tools Prayuth has used to deceive the people into believing that he is fighting corruption. Who was the last high level authority, in the police, immigration, the army, or the active administration they arrested, charged, tried convicted, and sent to prison? Nobody. Zero. Nunca. Nada. Why? Because Prayuth has had a mandate from the beginning to do the very opposite. To protect the elite, the super wealthy who are guilty, those that are connected, and those who are in power. Just think Dark Tao. Just think Red Bull. The list goes on, and on, and on. Only the most naive amongst us believe he or ACT secretary-general Mana Nimitmongkol are sincere about this. 

It barely matters. These guys are above the law. Any and all laws. The only time they are arrested is when it becomes big news, or it is reported internationally, and Thailand gets a ton of egg on it's face. And even then, it normally does not result in a conviction. Very, very few current (not former) police, immigration, customs, cabinet officials, army officials, or administration officials are arrested here, tried, convicted and imprisoned.

My guess is it is one of the lowest rates in the world. The corruption here is never ending.

And to think that tiny P. came into office with the agenda of cleaning the place up. LOL. Nothing ever got cleaned up. If anything, things are filthier under the army, then they were before. When you have an administration that is built solely upon a foundation of cronyism, favoritism, and corruption, you end up with alot of morally bankrupt people, with ridiculous amounts of money. It gives them an Ivory Tower consciousness, and seems to foster a level of pathology that manifests itself as a dislike of the common man, a lack of respect for anyone who is not very wealthy, and a system of patronage, that only the toxic urchins within the army, the administration, the police, immigration, customs, and the elite of society benefit from.

[Hans Johnson]

That’s daylight robbery, they must of been wearing designer clothes with a trolley with designer bags for them to be interested. Noticed jewellery and items in their original boxes. 
 

They should shake down all airline staff as they are well known to walk through with orders from overseas. I know airline hostesses that bring in top of the line goods and cosmetics to their supply customers. 

[DGS1244]

Nothing new, always been this way. Why waste money on designer clothes when copies here are cheaper anyway?

[HappyExpat57]

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

If you can afford genuine designer goods then you can afford the customs charges

The problem is they don't live in Thailand. They shouldn't be penalized for having exorbitant taste when traveling. As mentioned above, this will be a warning to those of means thinking of traveling here to select a different destination. Like my dad always said, "Go greedy, get nothing."

[Bluespunk]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Some shoes were brand new and were a present for a relative

So, in effect they were being imported into the country... 

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, JoePai said:

And maybe a 'bum bag' to complete the vision ?

Nah! Too upmarket, a plastic shopping bag would be more appropriate.... 

[Excel]

2 hours ago, CharlieH said:

That'll encourage the "high roller" tourists they claim to want to visit Thailand.

 

Always about the MONEY !

 

 

 

 

But guess designer fakes are ok because they have less value but of course 10 Rolex watches on one arm may raise suspicions  ????