Thailand Customs to Apply VAT on All Postal Imports

[Lorry]

iHerb 1444B just arrived as usual. 

 

IHerb's website warns of the 1500 B limit,  so I stayed under 1500 including shipping. 

But their customs declaration didn't include shipping,  I could have ordered a bit more.

[Dogmatix]

The date for the imposition of VAT on small packages has been set for 5 July.  There were two announcements, one from the Finance Ministry and another from the Customs Department.  The net result is somewhat different from what was previously announced, i.e. that VAT would be charged on parcels that were previously exempt up to 1.500 baht for a trial period till 31 Dec to see if it was not too disruptive.  What is actually happening is that VAT is introduced permanently on anything over 1 baht.  Import duties are now exempt up to 1,500 baht value including shipping and insurance costs until 31 December. If no further announcement to extend the exemption, import duties which range from 5% to 40% will also be imposed on all imports.  

 

They are working on amending the Revenue Code to make overseas vendors collect the VAT for them and remit it monthly but it is anyone's guess how long that will take and how many vendors will comply with it. Meanwhile, they will collect the VAT on a package by package basis.

 

I read somewhere else they are considering a universal import duty rate of 10% for small packages up 1,500 baht which would make it possible to get overseas vendors to collect that for them as well without having to go through a complex assessment of duty rates for each item.  So probably next year we will be paying 18% more for small imports, 

 

They claim they will collect an additional 700 million baht in VAT on small packages in the rest of this year but don't show the basis of their calculation or give an estimate of the incremental cost of collecting this.  They say that sales will be undiminished because Thais will still wish to import items from overseas and won't mind paying more them.  In my case I will certainly import less in the rest of this year because I have been stock piling imports since they made the announcement in April to avoid paying VAT and being forced to traipse over to the post office or the customs office to queue up and pay.   

 

https://ecs-support.github.io/post/knowledge/2024/06-22/