Tax Increase On Alcohol To Hit Foreigners And Benefit Tourist Police

[samtam]

This is April Fool's Day, right?

[Jonathanpattaya]

What an utterly crazy decision!

Please tell me it's a joke.

Edited April 1, 2010 by Jonathanpattaya

[CPT]

Must be a pretty high tax on calendars as well...

[cheshiremusicman]

This is 'APRIL FOOLS DAY' isn't it?

[volatilekoala]

I guess I'll just have to send my Thai friends or my gf to go to the bar instead of me. Do they really think that people won't find a way around this?? It's pretty pathetic logic taxing the foreigners extra. Makes me think of how a nightclub in RCA called Route 66 makes foreigners pay 200baht for entry while thais walk in for free.

[Angelatarangela]

So now it's not just the vendors who 'fan falang.' Robbing white people is a national, and government sanctioned pastime. Not that this is anything new. Foreigners have been paying ten times the price of Thais at Khao Yai, and other national parks for some time now.

I'd like to see how Thais around the world would feel if we suddenly slapped a 'foreigner' tax on them whenever they came to our respective countries. No, no, that would never happen, because we don't promote discrimination and overt xenophobia at every turn.

Bring on the revolution, and wave goodbye to the tourists!

[loong]

The government spokesman, Bakwud Lirpa Loof, must be joking if he thinks that foreigners are foolish enough to pay this extra tax.

This day will be well remembered

[mickba]

Story unfolding now on CH7... They are trying to find some Farangs to interview but non of the ones in Pattaya have got out of bed yet...

Drunk as a skunk last night.

Just woke up looking for an excuse never to drink again and found this.

[Thijs]

April fools?

[astral]

Rather like the plan down in Malaysia for foreigners to pay extra for petrol for their cars.............

[steviekes]

Good April Fools Day joke!

[thetefldon]

If it wasn't April 1st this might almost be believable. Nice one

[LennyW]

Whilst this may be a jolly jest for TODAY, i hope it does not give the local authorities any bright ideas!!

Cant believe the knee jerk reaction of so many posters!

[iang]

Well done TV - Looks like you caught out a lot of people with this one!

Happy APRIL FOOL's Day!

[BLUEEYEDTHAI]

As I was in a serious accident last sonkran and enjoyed the senastion of sliding across the road at high speed whilst using my body as a brake, followed getting the 'mai pen rai' or 'its our holiday - you are rich - blah blah' lines from the locals whilst I am standing there coverd in blood, I suggest songran is banned and returned as a religious event within temple grounds only.

Raise alcohol prices in Pattaya? - good, it may weed out some of less desirable 'long stay' types. This would have a been a perfectly acceptable basis for rasing prices anyway.

Did someone say WEED? Hmmmm theres an idea .

[SiriusBlack1]

Just ask a Thai to buy a bottle for you if we (the foreigners) with 'shameless behavior' are to pay 20 baht more.

Either that or stay away from booze and don't support their reasoning. Besides, if it works once, they'll do it again.

I'm sure plenty of people will still buy and support it and give them justification for their 'righteousness'.

Isn't it a little arrogant to class all foreigners with 'shameless behavior?' Wow, they really like us, don't they.

I'll still be drinking like a fish, this fine April day...

As we say in French

[thrawn60]

Just heard that a mate is doing a beer run from outside McDonalds on Beach Road at 11am. Beer is still available cheaply in Chonburi town so the plan is to rent a baht bus for a couple of hours and head there. Anyone who wants to come along be waiting there at 11am. Identify yourself as a thrifty expat by wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt tucked into waist high cargo shorts, white socks and sandals.

don't stop at chonburi.....i can just see the new headline:

"Today a new group has enterd Thailands political melee , they are calling themselves the FFBT Freedom From Beer Tax Party and are better known as SUEA HAWAII.......today they stormed govt offices carrying esky's full of beer and armed with bottle openers and 20 baht flip flops....under the force of this tidal wave the govt has no option but to dissolve.....:

HEHEHEHE that was a good one, guess we will also see black market beer sales as well..

[473geo]

What an utterly crazy decision!

Please tell me it's a joke.

[WAERTH]

april 1st anyone?

W

[millwall_fan]

April 1st....please tell me this is an April fool- I run a bar and I'm just about to slash my wrists

[Spalpeen]

Just wondering - if Farangs are charged 20 baht extra and Thais pay the original price, does that mean that Luk Krungs will be paying 10 baht extra? Seems only fair given that the LK's are the result of the Farangs shameless behaviour.

[loong]

april 1st anyone?

W

What didya have to spoil it for

I was enjoying this

[hansnoi]

I guess the fact that we foreigners already pay more for food, clothing, transportation, entrance to parks and shows, housing, rentals and pretty much anything else is not enough.

The fact that the only reason why Pattaya exists IS because of foreigners and their drinking habits-hence so many bars-still does not mean much.

Daily reports in Pattaya show 98% of Thai causing problems, such as drunken fights, motor accidents due to driver being drunk(Thai), hit and run, again driver was drunk(again Thai)

This is just amazing! first they give out free visas and spend millions to attract tourists, now they put up prices, which will push tourists away to cheaper places. Thailand is not a cheap holiday destination and has not been for a while.While one can still buy cheap house, the living costs are getting higher and higher.It does make me wonder with all the increases how to Thai people do it, who are on low paid salary's

Thank Buddha for all those fools on the First of April

Edited April 1, 2010 by hansnoi

[jomtienbob]

yes, 20 baht or less than 0.5 euro extra will really stop farangs from drinking more... as they only earn 1500 - unlimited amount of euros each month...

BUT

guess this is the big joke of THAIVISA to scare all the (half) drunk TV readers

Its a story from Pattaya One News. I guess Howard is in the know because of his tourist police involvement.

Everyone's missed the obvious point here. How on earth are they going to police, verify or monitor the owner/vendors for tax collection?? I can see the average owner/vendor saying "Oh trust me I only had 10 farangs in my bar this month the rest were all Thais" yeah right! Perhaps they'll just clamp down on Farang owned premises? But then the Farang partners could say "hey we are just minority 49% shareholders, this is a Thai owned business"! etc. etc. this sounds like another fanciful rumor from Howard and it wouldn't be the first nor last. We wish he'd choose either tourist police volunteer or journalist and not keep trying to be both.

[delboygoeslarge]

wow. this april fools joke is really hitting a nerve.

[SurfRider]

.

"april 1st anyone?"

Yes, the posts suggesting April Fools Day seem to be disappearing faster than cheap booze at Tesco! . . .

.

[tharae]

Hmm, now let me see. What is the date today? Why it's April 1. How foolish of me to forget. I thiink we've been rimmed.

[MegaMik]

Hrrmm, I can't really see the poblem with the cost for having tourists drinking, crashing with motorbikes/cars or even fighting causing damages.

Mostly its tourists who don't pay tax in Thailand, apart from their travel tickets, hotel costs, car rentals, motorbike rentals, foodbills, drinking bills, tourguide costs, gas costs, cigarettes, shopping, and all the rest we/they spend money on.

Firstly, tourists and expats drinking are contributing already to the tax income for Thailand.

Secondly, most tourists and expats have an insurance which pays for the damages and costs surrounding accidents. And the medical bill for this is a lot higher than for a Thai with an obvious extra tax income for Thailand. Not to mention the settlement bill if a Thai is involved, even if the forreigner wasn't to blame.

Regardless what we cause here in Thailand (if we do), we already pay 100-50 000% more than if a Thai causes the same accident, brawl or anything connected to costs becuase of drinking (don't have to be though).

We (forreigners) should however refrain from drinking and driving so any efforts for that, I at least support.

And of course, let fighting start and end in the ring with referees.

I surely wonder what will come next, lucky me I don't have my income coming from the tourist industry alone.

My conclusion why Thai authorities always end up blaming forreigners is because of the domestic political climate and problems.

Find an enemy and make the citizens of the country focus on these enemies to steer away attention from internal problems.

Just like the Americans do with the so called "terrorists". Sorry for bringing in US into this, just meant for clarification.

[featography]

I know we all find the situation very Taxing and disturbing. Perhaps we can call up that Stress Hotline that was bandied about here the other day.

OH H3!! yea, lets all TV members call in and whine and complain about how the tax stress is killin us, with overwhelming compulsions to dress in beer bottle brown shirts and and rally in the streets with our beer mug clappers.

[dsprtliving]

Hmm, now let me see. What is the date today? Why it's April 1. How foolish of me to forget. I thiink we've been rimmed.

Yes indeed....read this in the morning and went to lunch grumbling about it. Then we got to talking at lunch and it hit me what today is! Good one guys! Much better than last years!