Controversial Thai Tourism Fee Postponed Again

[webfact]

The 300-baht ‘land entry’ fee collection has been postponed to January 1st of next year.

 

The Caretaker Minister of Tourism and Sports Piphat Ratchakitprakarn told Thai media, “We have agreed to postpone the 300-baht ‘land entry’ fee collection which previously was expected to take effect this month to January 1st of next year.”

 

“When arriving in Thailand tourists will have to pay a 300 baht fee for aircraft transportation and 150 baht for marine transportation.

 

The fee will not be collected from foreigners with Border Passes, work permits and babies younger than two years old”, Mr. Piphat added.

 

By Adam Judd

 

#news

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2023/06/29/controversial-thai-tourism-fee-postponed-again/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2023-06-30

 

- 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.

[Plern]

So, all O visa farang w/o work permit and all children three years +1 day old will pay. Death by one thousand paper cuts

 

Keep postponing because they understand clearly that it's literally a corruption slush fund.

[flyingtlger]

 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

“When arriving in Thailand tourists will have to pay a 300 baht fee for aircraft transportation and 150 baht for marine transportation.

Why do tourist coming in via air have to pay 150 baht for marine transportation?

 

 

[ikke1959]

Happily this minister will not be in charge anymore....Cancel the whole idea

[klauskunkel]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

When arriving in Thailand tourists will have to pay a 300 baht fee for aircraft transportation

and then the airport will impose an arm and a leg surcharge.

[TheFishman1]

Money grab TIT

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The 300-baht ‘land entry’ fee collection has been postponed to January 1st of next year.

Just drop it...
Let tourists come, spend money and fleece them more on the way-out.

No need to start at arrivals hall.

The taxi rank outside already do a good job of doing that.

[hotchilli]

10 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

and then the airport will impose an arm and a leg surcharge.

A donation of a kidney will follow in 2024

[jacko45k]

What are 'border passes' in this context?

I thought the money was to apply some medical insurance for the benefit of tourists, not pay airport facilities. 

I used my UK ATM card recently, got hit with 220 baht fee for that facility..... isn't there some of that can be used?

[Caldera]

Maybe they could install donation boxes at the airports in the meantime, so that foreign tourists who wish to contribute a little extra to Thailand's struggling tourist industry may do so at their discretion.

 

</sarcasm>

Edited June 29, 2023 by Caldera

[mikebell]

If/when it starts up, will expats have to pay when returning from family visits?

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, Caldera said:

Maybe they could install donation boxes at the airports in the meantime, so that foreign tourists who wish to contribute a little extra to Thailand's struggling tourist industry may do so at their discretion.

 

</sarcasm>

A tip box at the the immigration kiosk,,,, ? You see them a plenty elsewhere! He could sit and glower at you doing nothing until you dropped a few coins in there.

[edwinchester]

35 minutes ago, mikebell said:

If/when it starts up, will expats have to pay when returning from family visits?

Unless they have a Thai work permit yes.

[Scouse123]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

What are 'border passes' in this context?

I thought the money was to apply some medical insurance for the benefit of tourists, not pay airport facilities. 

I used my UK ATM card recently, got hit with 220 baht fee for that facility..... isn't there some of that can be used?

ATM fees go to the banks. Another scam.

 

Border passes, I can only think of people transporting goods between Thailand and Cambodia, Thailand and Laos etc. or people that have business over the border and returning the same day as in , not tourists.

[Scouse123]

Do they actually mean we have to physically hand the money over, it's not added to the ticket price?

 

I suppose if it was added to ticket price, they wouldn't be able to make exceptions for work permits, border passes etc.

 

Obviously this will mean queues again to pay this degusting money grabbing 300 baht, on top of queues for immigration entry?

[Scouse123]

4 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

 

 

Why do tourist coming in via air have to pay 150 baht for marine transportation?

 

 

Yeah,

 

Sounds ' fishy ' to me!

[jacko45k]

5 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

Do they actually mean we have to physically hand the money over, it's not added to the ticket price?

 

I suppose if it was added to ticket price, they wouldn't be able to make exceptions for work permits, border passes etc.

 

Obviously this will mean queues again to pay this degusting money grabbing 300 baht, on top of queues for immigration entry?

All of that is why it keeps getting postponed. Airlines do not want to become an unpaid tax collector.... and segregating Thais from non Thais is onerous. 

[shackleton]

I have already replied to this matter before and its the same answer 

 it's not going to happen to complicated and time consuming in collecting the tax ????

It will be cancelled when proper thought is given ????

[Joseph98765]

21 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

Unless they have a Thai work permit yes.

ok, let's see how they do it...Are the airline companies going to ad something to probe someone has workpermit or not on their websites? every airline....? for only 300b?????

[spidermike007]

Compared to extremely poor air quality, a multitude of scams, an oncoming recession, super low consumer confidence worldwide, and people losing their legs on escalators, the entry fee is a nothing burger. 

[Bangkok Barry]

22 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

I suppose if it was added to ticket price, they wouldn't be able to make exceptions for work permits, border passes etc.

That is exactly why they keep postponing it. If it is to be included in the ticket price, how is your status determined when you book, on-line or otherwise? The airlines have already told the government to take a long walk off a short pier as they have zero interest in dealing with the complications of an ill-thought out idea.

 

It's typical Thai thinking - someone comes up with an idea and doesn't think it through, and anyone with half a brain but who is inferior in status to the boss can't tell him he's a idiot.

 

Plus, Thailand is arrogant enough to believe that all the airlines who fly passengers into the country will add to their workload by determining who does or doesn't need to pay the tax. Airlines do not work for the Thai government.

 

And so, before the end of the year, there will be another U-turn. Or the next government will dump the proposal in the bin where it belongs.

[CFCol]

I don't see this as anything new. Up until the early 20's Thailand had a departure tax of 300 baht which was collected for international departures via booths at the airports. They are merely reinventing their own wheel.

[isaanistical]

25 minutes ago, CFCol said:

I don't see this as anything new. Up until the early 20's Thailand Not new. had a departure tax of 300 baht which was collected for international departures via booths at the airports. They are merely reinventing their own wheel.

Not new. Unless they stopped it while I was not looking, there is already a 700 baht charge in every air ticket (collected by airlines, as it has no small-print exceptions). This latest nonsense would just increase this Passenger Sevice Charge to 1000 baht for most arrivals.

Edited June 30, 2023 by isaanistical
spelinge

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

Money grab TIT

The new government provided there are no soldiers involved will probably cancel it, that is if there is a new government by next January. ????

[Burma Bill]

5 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

and then the airport will impose an arm and a leg surcharge.

With respect, only if you use a walkway/travelator??

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

That is exactly why they keep postponing it. If it is to be included in the ticket price, how is your status determined when you book, on-line or otherwise? The airlines have already told the government to take a long walk off a short pier as they have zero interest in dealing with the complications of an ill-thought out idea.

 

It's typical Thai thinking - someone comes up with an idea and doesn't think it through, and anyone with half a brain but who is inferior in status to the boss can't tell him he's a idiot.

 

Plus, Thailand is arrogant enough to believe that all the airlines who fly passengers into the country will add to their workload by determining who does or doesn't need to pay the tax. Airlines do not work for the Thai government.

 

And so, before the end of the year, there will be another U-turn. Or the next government will dump the proposal in the bin where it belongs.

"and anyone with half a brain" A "politician" from the army barracks with half a brain??  

[BusyB]

8 hours ago, Plern said:

So, all O visa farang w/o work permit and all children three years +1 day old will pay. Death by one thousand paper cuts

 

Keep postponing because they understand clearly that it's literally a corruption slush fund.

I'd have thought that would be a reason to expedite the farce.

[PETERTHEEATER]

9 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

 

 

Why do tourist coming in via air have to pay 150 baht for marine transportation?

 

 

In case you board a flying boat.

[PETERTHEEATER]

7 hours ago, Caldera said:

Maybe they could install donation boxes at the airports in the meantime, so that foreign tourists who wish to contribute a little extra to Thailand's struggling tourist industry may do so at their discretion.

 

</sarcasm>

The OP shows a 'practice run' with airport staff collecting cash.

[Plern]

11 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

 

 

Why do tourist coming in via air have to pay 150 baht for marine transportation?

 

 

This is an excellent question

 

The rubbish they are fronting as an excuse (reason) is to promote tourism and vicariously to shore up ???? blah blah medical farang blah blah blah.

 

There is absolutely no reason broke axx border jumpers should pay less except that this is just a funnel for corruption so in that respect they are easing the burden on the poors.

 

Absurd