An airplane flying away from Phuket after taking off from the island’s airport. Photo:  [email protected] (CC BY 2.0)

 

by TNR Staff

 

THE REVENUE Department denied it is going to start collecting 1,000 baht air departure tax from Thais and foreign residents with the current online public hearings on this issue only being held to comply with a key law, Matichon newspaper said.

 

Mr. Winit Visetsuvarnabhumi, the department’s deputy director-general, said public hearings on a departure tax of 1,000 baht for air travel and 500 baht by land and sea taking place during May 3-17, 2023 had to be held to evaluate the effectiveness of an emergency decree on the departure levy, based on a law passed in 1983.

 

This is necessary to comply with the 2017 Constitution and the Act on Legislative Drafting and Evaluation of Law B.E.2562 (2019) as well as a Cabinet resolution passed on January 19, 2021.

 

Full story: https://thainewsroom.com/2023/05/07/no-departure-tax-being-implemented-revenue-department/

 

-- © Copyright  THAI NEWSROOM 2023-05-08

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

The most versatile and flexible rental investment and holiday home solution in Thailand - click for more information.

flip flop much?

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

THE REVENUE Department denied it is going to start collecting 1,000 baht air departure tax from Thais and foreign residents

Good, and keep it that way, Thank you.

Oh dear Less than a day and they change their mind. Who would have thought!

Just another stupid idea. Maybe time to put the bong down and fix so many issues the Thai government itself has create. Who are the idiots in charge?

Sounds like someone got caught with there pants down after telling folks about the proposal.  Hard to not post a retraction, but whose head will now be on the chopping block for letting this out.

45 minutes ago, webfact said:

Mr. Winit Visetsuvarnabhumi, the department’s deputy director-general, said public hearings on a departure tax of 1,000 baht for air travel and 500 baht by land and sea taking place during May 3-17, 2023 had to be held to evaluate the effectiveness of an emergency decree on the departure levy, based on a law passed in 1983.

Someone is tip toeing around the story and trying to save some FACE it appears by blaming a law passed 40 years ago.

???? ???? ???? ???? ????

 

How many of us got whiplash over THIS one?

So impressed with Government respond to public anxieties over this tax…probably the fastest reaction from any world governments. Very impressed. 

We will. No we won't. Yes, we will and it will be more. Oh, I guess we shouldn't. Maybe we should. Should we get advice? Oh, it might hurt tourism. Really? We hadn't thought of that before. Now we won't. Guess it was a bad idea, after all. Maybe we are not genius minds. Maybe we are bottom of the barrel selections, as some have indicated. 

No plan to impose departure tax on outbound Thais – Revenue Department

 

 

Thailand’s Revenue Department has no intention of imposing a departure tax on Thai nationals and permanent foreign residents travelling out of Thailand, as has been widely misunderstood.

 

Revenue Department Deputy Director-General Winit Wisetsuwannaphum said in a statement, issued yesterday (Sunday), that they are merely gathering public opinion about the proposed departure tax of 1,000 baht for air travel and 500 baht for land and sea travel, as part of a legal process, in line with constitutional requirements, to assess the impacts of the proposal.

 

He explained that the departure tax, which was originally 5,000 baht, was proposed in an executive decree, promulgated in 1983, but not due to be enforced until 1991, when a ministerial regulation was issued to put the proposed departure tax on hold and to introduce the new rate.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/no-plan-to-impose-departure-tax-on-outbound-thais-revenue-department/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-05-08

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

The most versatile and flexible rental investment and holiday home solution in Thailand - click for more information.

If there's really a law requiring them to waste time holding hearings on a tax that hasn't been levied in over 30 years - in order to "assess its effectiveness" - that would truly raise the bar for bureaucratic inanity.

Next they will make polls not on decrees from 1983, but 1883 or 1783... Amazing (laughing stock) Thailand!

Edited May 8, 20233 yr by StayinThailand2much

It will be implemented differently, with more expensive landing and departure rights for the airlines  or so... They always wins if it is about money and the public will blame the airlines...

Edited May 8, 20233 yr by ikke1959

2 hours ago, bogs smith said:

flip flop much?

No, it was never anything more than a questionnaire, the RD never said that it was going to be implemented, lots of AN "last-nail-in-the-tourism-coffin-money-grabbing-government" posters, wrongly, assumed it to the case, though.

2 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Oh dear Less than a day and they change their mind. Who would have thought!

There was no mind-changing, it was always just an initial questionnaire.

21 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

???? ???? ???? ???? ????

 

How many of us got whiplash over THIS one?

Only those who chose to misrepresent what was actually the case from the beginning.

maybe I'm missing something - doesn't everyone pay tax when you buy a ticket

9 minutes ago, wealthychef said:

Did they actually change their minds or is this just typical sloppy click-bait reporting with a clarification?  

No, they did not have a change of mind, the only sloppiness was that demonstrated by those posters who misinterpreted (or deliberately misconstrued) the original reports about a questionnaire.

4 minutes ago, smedly said:

maybe I'm missing something - doesn't everyone pay tax when you buy a ticket

Yes, but this was a questionnaire/research about a tentative additional amount.

Yet another monumental fart which will resurface in some years to come. 

2 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Oh dear Less than a day and they change their mind. Who would have thought!

If only they had an Olympic sport on back flips they'd win gold.

If I was a gambling man I would go for a flip flop.????

53 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, they did not have a change of mind, the only sloppiness was that demonstrated by those posters who misinterpreted (or deliberately misconstrued) the original reports about a questionnaire.

I would blame the reporters who deliberately titled their article to make it seem they were going to charge 1000 ฿ when they apparently never were going to.  This kind of disinformation for profit is a hallmark of our hypercapitalist times in my view.  (Honestly, I'm fun at parties, I promise!)

This could have been the old proverbial "trial balloon"?  Obviously the temperature in the room got very hot and very quick.  This idea will have to tabled and revisited in the future.  

14 minutes ago, wealthychef said:

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, they did not have a change of mind, the only sloppiness was that demonstrated by those posters who misinterpreted (or deliberately misconstrued) the original reports about a questionnaire.

Expand  

I would blame the reporters who deliberately titled their article to make it seem they were going to charge 1000 ฿ when they apparently never were going to.  This kind of disinformation for profit is a hallmark of our hypercapitalist times in my view.

How about blaming those who "read" the copy of the scores of articles and propagated it as fact, none of which reported that the tax was going to be imposed, for the "disinformation"?

1 hour ago, smedly said:

maybe I'm missing something - doesn't everyone pay tax when you buy a ticket

Airport taxes, yes. But this was supposed to be an extra tax by the Revenue Department to fill the government's coffers (perhaps used to buy more submarines, or whatever), as opposed to the AOT's imposed tax to pay for the upkeep of airports.

Edited May 8, 20233 yr by StayinThailand2much

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Only those who chose to misrepresent what was actually the case from the beginning.

Party pooper..

Just now, Gknrd said:

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Only those who chose to misrepresent what was actually the case from the beginning.

Party pooper..

I'm glad that I'm appreciated.

A reported post has been removed as well as being removed as a quote in several other posts.

 

Remember the forum rules:

17. The ASEAN NOW news team gathers and disseminates news bulletins from Thai and international sources, and republishes them in the news forums for our members' information and enjoyment. Our news team works hard to bring quality content to the news forums and should be respected for their efforts. Comments such as "slow news day" or "clickbait headline" are disrespectful and unwelcome. Such comments will be sanctioned. Original articles, especially in the Thai or foreign language press can sometimes have grammatical mistakes or misspellings. ASEAN NOW is not responsible for these nor does ASEAN NOW have the right to alter content it is reprinting from another source. Similarly, ASEAN NOW is not responsible for any opinions reflected or quoted in reprinted news stories.

Whether or this "tax" is implemented, it shows that Thailand has a reputation for sticking little fees and taxes on things wherever it can. THis is not a good image.