Cabinet approves tourist fee of 150-300 baht for all foreign tourists

[Neeranam]

17 minutes ago, kotsak said:

Yes, sod anyone who stays here because they have a family (which they support) or being retired (and spending their pensions here).. 

Which country are you from? I'll bet they charge Thais a lot more than 300 baht for an entry to the country. 

Did you know Thailand is one of the easiest countries to retire to? 

[Hummin]

I would start complaining about everyone staying in Thailand without insurance, and all those who run away from the bill!

 

If it was mandatory to have visa before you arrive, I guess it would be easy to require insurance proof from everyone which would lead to complaining and loss of tourist without visa exemption as a great solution. 300 bath is a small fee! 

[kotsak]

4 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Which country are you from? I'll bet they charge Thais a lot more than 300 baht for an entry to the country. 

Did you know Thailand is one of the easiest countries to retire to? 

The point I am trying to make is why exclude a foreigner who has a working permit and not the one who is staying and living here and who also contributes in the economy. Where I am coming from is irrelevant to the issue. 

[Neeranam]

7 minutes ago, kotsak said:

The point I am trying to make is why exclude a foreigner who has a working permit and not the one who is staying and living here and who also contributes in the economy. Where I am coming from is irrelevant to the issue. 

The reason I asked is because I'm sure that country makes it harder for Thais retiring there than Thailand makes it for foreigners retiring here. 

Foreign retirees don't pay tax here, those with WP do. 

[brianburi]

1 hour ago, nigelforbes said:

He's right, you don't understand.

  Until Thaksin started messing with the alcohol laws you could always get a can of beer at a fuel stations.  Always liked a beer on the way home from work.....

 

[Neeranam]

Just now, brianburi said:

  Until Thaksin started messing with the alcohol laws you could always get a can of beer at a fuel stations.  Always liked a beer on the way home from work.....

 

Used to be able to buy whisky in Drug stores too. 

[carabaothai]

and if the tourist forgot? ???????????? must pay at immigration counter? I imagine the queue ????????

I think the airlines will check at the departure.. then it will be include in the flight ticket like the departure taxe.

So now.. 1000 THB tax 

Edited February 15, 2023 by carabaothai

[Hummin]

5 minutes ago, carabaothai said:

and if the tourist forgot? ???????????? must pay at immigration counter? I imagine the queue ????????

I think the airlines will check at the departure.. then it will be include in the flight ticket like the departure taxe.

So now.. 1000 THB tax 

Not possible, since there is many who is in transit and use other airline for the next flight out of Thailand.

 

Edited February 15, 2023 by Hummin

[n8sail]

56 minutes ago, Hummin said:

The stream of passengers will not change much at the emigration counters do to multiple landings. Most likely it is going to be an app as well.

Where'd you see the 'App' information?  Source?

[joecoolfrog]

12 hours ago, Prince77 said:

I am wondering about the insurance benefits - what is covered in what amounts?

 

I think you can safely assume that it will cover next to nothing , perhaps not even that much in fact.

[joecoolfrog]

43 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I would start complaining about everyone staying in Thailand without insurance, and all those who run away from the bill!

 

If it was mandatory to have visa before you arrive, I guess it would be easy to require insurance proof from everyone which would lead to complaining and loss of tourist without visa exemption as a great solution. 300 bath is a small fee! 

Do you seriously think a single baht of this tax will be used to subsidise tourists who are otherwise uninsured ?

The Thais make a huge fuss about unpaid hospital charges though in reality the overall amounts are peanuts.

Compare the numbers with the amounts the UK NHS routinely write off , no comparison whatsoever yet we dont use it as an excuse to fleece tourists.

As for 300 baht only being a ' small amount ' , why bother to collect it then , do you imagine it purely symbolic lol ?

 

[farang1979]

59 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

Yes, this seems like what will happen. Use an app. prepay via credit card, get issued a QR code, which gets scanned by arriving Imm. officer.

 

 

 

 

I sincerely hope not. Apps and QR codes have got a terrible history. I can't see how this will be implemented properly.

[Xonax]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

the landing tax will be used for domestic tourism development and for insurance coverage for tourists while they are in Thailand

Since expats are obviously considered tourists in Thailand, can we now safely cancel our expensive health insurances and use the arrival tax insurance instead? Does anyone even know what this insurance covers?

[Rohe60]

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Maybe we should charge an 'occupancy charge' like the USA. 17% hotel tax for Thai  tourists in Houston! 

How about we charge Germans a culture tax of $5 a day!

Spaniards $4.50 a DAY! 

Dutch $9 a day! 

Malaysians $2.50 a day! 

Whataboutism at its very best......

I dont care about those 10 EUR extra. But I would care about additional delays at Swampy. I care about corrupt officials stuffing their pockets with that money extorted from the tourist (Well, at least some of that money will make its way back to Germany as well as the UK, since the sale numbers of the local Benz/BMW/Rolls Royce/Bentley dealers will go up.....).

And to all those who are comparing Thailand with the UK, the USA or the EU:
Does the mountain come to the prophet or will the prophet have to come to the mountain? 

[Digitalbanana]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

receipts for tourism fee payments can be used by the tourists when applying for re-entry permits.

Sorry if I missed it, but what does this mean?

[Rohe60]

2 hours ago, mikeymike100 said:

But where do you buy the ticket? Would it be after you left the aircraft in Thailand, I can see problems with people having no cash, those with foreign cash, those with credit cards etc?

Or do you purchase at check in? Same problems there?

Oh, I'm sure you will be able to buy the entry fee ticket at the ONE booth which will be found before immigration. And I'm also sure that it will be possible to pay the entry fee with foreign currency. The rate however will be a bit different from what you may get at Super Rich........

Edited February 15, 2023 by Rohe60

[findlay13]

2 hours ago, cnx101 said:

They haven’t thought of that yet

As is the normal practise here .Announce it make it law tTHEN work it out????

[Neeranam]

38 minutes ago, Rohe60 said:

Whataboutism at its very best......

Is comparing what other countries do, after some complaining, unusual, or allowed ? 

 

Seeks like a classic reply, using that word when someone doesn't want to debate something, as they know they are wrong. 

Edited February 15, 2023 by Neeranam

[TheFishman1]

So who gets this extra money they’re gonna be collecting for every single passenger jet 6 foot in the country

[zzaa09]

24 minutes ago, Xonax said:

Since expats are obviously considered tourists in Thailand, can we now safely cancel our expensive health insurances and use the arrival tax insurance instead? Does anyone even know what this insurance covers?

Not so fast....they have ways.

Since the dreaded COVID is still a conscious/made up entity within their circle - they'll find a way. 

If not, they'll invent something to justify their devious additions. 

[Hummin]

56 minutes ago, joecoolfrog said:

Do you seriously think a single baht of this tax will be used to subsidise tourists who are otherwise uninsured ?

The Thais make a huge fuss about unpaid hospital charges though in reality the overall amounts are peanuts.

Compare the numbers with the amounts the UK NHS routinely write off , no comparison whatsoever yet we dont use it as an excuse to fleece tourists.

As for 300 baht only being a ' small amount ' , why bother to collect it then , do you imagine it purely symbolic lol ?

 

I believe you attacking the wrong man here! What I believe where the money is going is irrelevant.

[Hummin]

1 hour ago, n8sail said:

Where'd you see the 'App' information?  Source?

Just what I believe is a reasonable solution 

[nigelforbes]

18 minutes ago, findlay13 said:

As is the normal practise here .Announce it make it law tTHEN work it out????

There is merit to doing things this way, if they tried to do that in western countries, governments would fall if it didn't work out properly straight away. Here, it's

de rigueur.

[ikke1959]

3 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Are you from the UK?

If a Thai goes there, they have to pay 4,000 baht. 

The Thai government should reciprocate and make it as hard for Brits to come here as it is for Thais to go there. 

And yet we have Brits, Yanks etc complaining about Thailand only charging tourists $10

But Thais will pay the same for everything no double standards there instead here in Thailand 

[Neeranam]

42 minutes ago, Rohe60 said:

I care about corrupt officials stuffing their pockets with that money extorted from the tourist (Well, at least some of that money will make its way back to Germany as well as the UK, since the sale numbers of the local Benz/BMW/Rolls Royce/Bentley dealers will go up.....).

Things like this are not worth worrying about, most Thai people don't care. 

Not sure why you mentioned the UK with those cars, aren't they all German? ????

[ikke1959]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

The reason I asked is because I'm sure that country makes it harder for Thais retiring there than Thailand makes it for foreigners retiring here. 

Foreign retirees don't pay tax here, those with WP do. 

 

[ikke1959]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

The reason I asked is because I'm sure that country makes it harder for Thais retiring there than Thailand makes it for foreigners retiring here. 

Foreign retirees don't pay tax here, those with WP do. 

Neeranam If you are not informed don's say anything.. Everybody who stays in Thailand more than 180 days has to pay taxes.. so also retirees......Not only who has  a workpermit... and I know it for sure as I just paid my taxes last week... 

Edited February 15, 2023 by ikke1959

[bradiston]

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Added on to the air ticket price, why should it be an issue at Suvarnabhumi?

Airlines won't know an exempt passenger from a Cumberland sausage so it's no good asking them to include or exclude it. Automatically adding it on to the airline ticket across the board will only work if exempt passengers can claim a refund after arrival (on a dedicated website ????)????. Insert a slip of paper with the returned passport at immigration on arrival, explaining how and where to so do. Course, this could take at least 6 months to design and implement. The 300 THB could go towards setting it up.

 

The main thing would be to avoid queuing at arrivals to pay. You can't expect the IOs to process exemptions, or take payment. For, as someone else mentioned, who's got 300 THB in their pockets (exact money only, no doubt) when they arrive? Nightmare!

Edited February 15, 2023 by bradiston

[ourmanflint]

8 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

So every airline/flight booking portal is going to update their website to ask if you have a Diplomatic passport or Work Permit and charge you accordingly?  

 

Oh & give you the opportunity to enter your receipt number if you're travelling on a re-entry permit? 

 

Obviously not so this fee will be charged to everybody (Including my Thai partner if I book us flights together) or (as I suspect will be the case) collected at the airport... Which will be a nightmare, will be canned after 1-2 months & cause irrepareable damage to Thailand's reputation as a tourist desination. 

 

Very few people care about the 300b but I'll never go to Bali again after having to stand in line for almost 2 hours to pay for a Visa to enter... It's not what I go on holiday to do. 

 

Absolutely right. Airlines will not filter those that are exempt so everyone will pay.

 

And it's nice to see the govt finally admit that those arriving by land borders are not real tourists so they can amend figures to exclude them from tourism numbers in future.

[Captain Monday]

5 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

You do realise that this will be levied on the 20Million (2019 figures, Thailand expects this to go up to 100Million within the next decade) visitors per year so would equate to 6,000,000,000 (6Billion Baht) way beyond (by a factor of at least 10) what every non paying foreigner costs the Thai government in health care. 

 

And you want to change that to days, the average stay is 10 days so 60Billion!

 

And exactly how much do us expats pay when we arrive... do we pay 300 x 365 (109,500baht) or are we supposed to book our next exit from Thailand before we arrive back. 

 

 

The whole idea is stupid beyond belief & will be quietly sidelined when they realised that people are voting with their feet (wallets). 

 

 

Do not think they should have targeted expats, married, retired there should be other insurance options for those on long term visa or extension. How about following thru targeting wealthy and "quality tourists" over quantity? People pay $250 per day to go to Bhutan don't they?  

 

It is 2023 time to actively discourage the sexpests and crims. Home country backgound checks before entry are desperately needed. Visa free travel should probably be banned from countries that cannot provide an active online database to Thai immigration.