Taxing times: Tourism Minister stands firm with 300 baht tourist tax

[bob smith]

16 minutes ago, Ctkong said:

With this additional fund, maybe foreigners no longer need to pay dual pricing at national parks ? 

...very wishful thinking.

 

we are but walking ATM's to the Thai.

 

'Pay up or get out' should be the welcome sign at swampy..

 

bob.

[Toby1947]

Needs to spend his cut on a face transplant ain't he an ugly b#st#rd.

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

 

 

The current Passenger Service Charge for International arrivals is 730 baht. An extra 300 baht would total 1,030 baht.

 

The "730" goes to AoT.

 

The biggest hurdle is "collection" of this 300 baht fee. Thailand wants airlines to create a new line item, airlines, to date, have refused to do this.

 

They could raise the PSC to 1,030 and AoT could remit 300 baht to the Tourism/Sport Ministry but that may be illegal?

 

There is also no way to avoid charging Thais unless the government rebates it.

 

Every Tourism/Sport Minster salivates at the thought of "managing" a NINE BILLION Baht Slush Fund.

 

 

 

Had to google the Passenger Service Charge for International arrivals.

 

Here's me thinking all these years there was only a Bt.700 departure tax !

[khunjeff]

6 hours ago, AhFarangJa said:

Maybe I am mistaken, but was there not a refusal by the airlines to implement this in the ticket as it was only for Foreign Nationals, and therefore a nightmare to police?

 

You are absolutely correct. The airlines flatly stated that they had no way of adding a fee to tickets if it only applied to certain passengers and not others. 

 

[BritScot]

17 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

 

Yeah so ? If 300 baht turns away a nomad (ie a backpacker with a laptop) then i'm all for it. 

Wow another I'm alright Jack!! Another with shallow principles. Monetary wise 300baht is insignificant, however the principle is huge. If it was used to better the tourist journey and facilities in Thailand then make it a 1000baht but we all know there will be zero benifit to tourists, but a few pigs at the trough will get fatter. Plus what's wrong with back packers? Never forget it was those adventure tourists that put Thailand on the tourist map. And Gi's

[smew]

more tea money for not the needy people ....!!

[daejung]

I wonder if this will be applicable to ASEAN citizens.

 

[dogfish180]

21 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

It will just be incorporated into the ticket - well it should be.

 

300 Baht is quite low, considering what they've lost in waving visas for Indians and Chinese. 

Then that would be every traveller, including Thais! So it wouldn't be a tourist tax. 

[khunPer]

19 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

"We need more tourists!"

So let's make them pay more. 😶‍🌫️

We need "quality tourists" that can pay more...

[Luuk Chaai]

9 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

About $8.00 US. They're welcome to it, if I had to pay, but I'm a resident not a tourist, retirement visa. 

 

We are not  Permanent Residents ,,  we are  Non Immigrant visa holders

So pay  "extra" to enter,  pay "extra" to leave

wait until they want to collect 100Baht for every suitcase you want to put in a taxi,van or bus

and the 50Baht fuel surcharge for the same taxi,van,bus ride ..don't forget the 50Baht enviromental fee

or a fee for before 7am or after 23:59

oh.   and the 100Baht for crossing the Somat Prakan/ Bangkok line

they got the foot in the door.   it will never stop

you could go to NY or California if you like paying extra and not mind getting the snot kicked out of you if you look at someone the wrong way

[atpeace]

19 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

 

Yeah so ? If 300 baht turns away a nomad (ie a backpacker with a laptop) then i'm all for it. 

Why?

[Caldera]

All that idle talk for years. Just bring it on, and if it doesn't work as expected, you can always do your usual Thai flip-flop and scrap it again. 

[bradiston]

4 hours ago, Ctkong said:

Simplest way of incorporating tourist tax residents exempted is to put an electronic money bin at each immigration counter and ask tourist to slot in the 300 tb into the bin. Immigration officer not touching the cash and electronic money bin secured. 

Who's got 300 THB in cash on arrival? For every member in their group? Who's exempt? What about kids? A recipe for disaster. I can't see a way of paying on arrival that doesn't seriously mess up immigration. Can you imagine families trying to figure out how much and how to pay?

 

An idea I had was, everybody pays it, presumably added to the airfare, and the exempted can then claim it back - at a later date. But where? It means the rebate system will need passenger lists, nationalities etc, ie, entitlement. So then it's the claiming it back that becomes the problem, not the payment. Most tourists won't need to worry, which is a step in the right direction. And I guess some exempted won't be that fussed. If they are regular travellers, maybe they can collect over a 3 month period or whatever.

 

So if they worked on the rebate system, it shifts the problem away from immigration and arrivals, which is the most important thing.

 

And they'd really have to negotiate with the airlines to collect it. I don't see ticket agencies or tour operators wanting to get involved. Maybe offer the airlines a cut. 1 THB processing fee per ticket?

 

Don't give it to check in. More chaos.

[VBF]

3 hours ago, khunjeff said:

 

You are absolutely correct. The airlines flatly stated that they had no way of adding a fee to tickets if it only applied to certain passengers and not others. 

 

Won't that be fun!

 

First off, I'm against this on principle, despite it being "only" 300 Baht - it's actually another 300 Baht and the thin end of the wedge.

But, if the airlines won't cooperate, and i don't blame them in the circumstances, and if Thailand wants to collect it as people enter the country, can you imagine the chaos?

 

An extra line to pay (like the old exit tax?)

IO made to collect it?

What about people who don't have the exact money?

What about people who arrive with NO Baht? They're not very clever I admit but what will the procedure be? Forced to use a credit card?

 

Hmmm.......watch this space 🙄☹

[bradiston]

3 hours ago, khunjeff said:

 

You are absolutely correct. The airlines flatly stated that they had no way of adding a fee to tickets if it only applied to certain passengers and not others. 

 

I've solved this (see above) by suggesting everyone gets it added to their fare, but exempted can claim it back. Quite how is the next hurdle.

[cowellandrew]

21 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

 

Yeah so ? If 300 baht turns away a nomad (ie a backpacker with a laptop) then i'm all for it. 

Is there a requirement to include a picture of your computer when applying for the nomad visa?

[ujayujay]

It seems that the Thai government is doing everything: 300 Baht visitor fee, taxes for expats etc., to damage their own country....stupidity comes before the fall!

[black tabby12345]

If the New Tourist Levy is introduced, does the Thai immigration lift the restriction of 2-border run a year?

 

Brought in by previous military dictator in 2015, it strictly limits the available (land)visa-run numbers in one year.

 

Whatever they do to these old things, one thing is absolutely  clear;

it is another source of revenue to enrich the 0.1% of already-superrich of the kingdom. Rather than to be used to make the poor better off.

Democracy does not really stand for the change for the better here. Instead, it often means more corruption and flow of

rip-off money into the pocket of the high-ranking. And it done more openly as THEY WERE ELECTED.

[Andyfez]

Kha Yeap Pan Din

 

The big question is will the KY gel?

[Andyfez]

.

[Chris Daley]

I have to do 300 bahts worth of damage now.  Thats at least one air hand dryer and a few rolls of toilet paper.

[DonniePeverley]

5 hours ago, black tabby12345 said:

If the New Tourist Levy is introduced, does the Thai immigration lift the restriction of 2-border run a year?

 

Brought in by previous military dictator in 2015, it strictly limits the available (land)visa-run numbers in one year.

 

Whatever they do to these old things, one thing is absolutely  clear;

it is another source of revenue to enrich the 0.1% of already-superrich of the kingdom. Rather than to be used to make the poor better off.

Democracy does not really stand for the change for the better here. Instead, it often means more corruption and flow of

rip-off money into the pocket of the high-ranking. And it done more openly as THEY WERE ELECTED.

 

 

Dude the fee is about the cost of a sandwich in the UK. Chill out. 

[bamnutsak]

19 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Had to google the Passenger Service Charge for International arrivals.

 

Here's me thinking all these years there was only a Bt.700 departure tax !

 

https://thailand.prd.go.th/en/content/category/detail/id/2078/iid/277841

 

 

I think the 730 baht (or equivalent currency where the ticket is issued) is denoted as "TS" on the ticket break-out.

 

Domestic PSC is 130 baht.

 

 

[bradiston]

35 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

 

https://thailand.prd.go.th/en/content/category/detail/id/2078/iid/277841

 

 

I think the 730 baht (or equivalent currency where the ticket is issued) is denoted as "TS" on the ticket break-out.

 

Domestic PSC is 130 baht.

 

 

On some ticketing systems they do give you a breakdown of the pricing and the extras, taxes, fees etc. ISTR Cebu Pacific do. Turns out the seat price is about 50% of the ticket price. The rest is surcharges, taxes, fees etc.

[Sydebolle]

Excellent, keep up the good work. Unlike the airport tax on departure, which can be levied very simple by the number of passengers on an outgoing aircraft, it does not work the other way round by collecting this "landing tax" through the ticket sales.

You'll have Thai citizen (who might go head over heels), PR and work permit expatriates, retirees and other long-term visa holders and an infant might also be questionable to be taxed. All this upon arrival, 137 different currencies, fantastic queues in getting baggage and immigration sorted - good luck with this stuff. 

I seriously wonder, what kind of excellent weed is smoked in certain offices in this countries ........ 

[Andycoops]

Desperate measures, the coffers must be getting even lower...

[john donson]

used for what?

 

whole pockets get lined?

 

national parks are already between 4 and 20 times more expensive, for non-thai

 

so not for health care - insurance anymore ?

 

why only 300 ?  why not 1000 ?

[Sydebolle]

Just in case the TAT bunch cannot read, maybe they can understand a drawing. 

The following cartoon is copyrighted by ©Stephh but wraps up the problematic perfectly fine