Sign Tax

[4evermaat]

Apparently this "tax" is real as I was reading an older thread about this http://www.thaivisa....re/page__st__50

My experience was different. Nobody came to our business demanding money. We wanted a trash can and to pick up trash 3+ times a week, and we were going to this office to get this done. When we got there, gf identified her place where the trash should be picked up, and one of the clerks proceeded to place down a large binder and flipped through to a page with photos of 3 business signs, one of them was ours. The clerk proceeded to show a bill for 1200 x 2 = 2400 baht for one year. I knew this wasn't for trash, which is supposed to be under 300 baht. Gf said it was for the sign itself. I laughed and insisted it was a mistake.

Gf explained that it had English before the thai (from top to bottom), and that's what makes it expensive (Gf wanted the sign this way). It is cheaper if there is Thai first, then English. My gf talked it down to 1200 baht, but said that for next year thai must be put somewhere before the english, and we can pay next month. The trash situation remains unresolved. I would love to just pay a private company to collect the trash, but that's not an option. Only 2 companies, and they each 'control' certain areas. And they are backlogged on trash bins (but 6 months backlog?).

A couple of questions:

- Is this sign tax only for stand-alone hanging signs, or does this apply to signage on the actual business? Does this include window advertising?

- does it really matter where the thai vs english symbols are placed?

- how do they arrive at the price? the sign itself is (guesstimating) 1.5m x 0.8m, lighted, exactly the same on both sides, 1-2 meters off from the main-road. The sign is elevated on its own pole, about 5-6m high

- what does the tax help do?

My gf later admitted that she knew about some fee for the sign, but it was only 500 baht before somewhere else.

Edited February 11, 2012 by 4evermaat

[necronx99]

The tax helps employ people to go around taking photos of untaxed signs and helps ensure the preeminence of the Thai language.

I'm sorry, I'm sure your questions are serious to you but this is a classic TiT situation.

[atsiii]

555... I just heard about this "sign tax" yesterday and thought the same thing: is this for real? Based on your post, I guess it is! I too would be curious to know on what the tax is based: Number of words? Size of sign? What? Beverage needs of the local police? It seems like if you pay for the appropriate licenses, you should be able to advertise your business.

[cardholder]

555... I just heard about this "sign tax" yesterday and thought the same thing: is this for real? Based on your post, I guess it is! I too would be curious to know on what the tax is based: Number of words? Size of sign? What? Beverage needs of the local police? It seems like if you pay for the appropriate licenses, you should be able to advertise your business.

We were told it was based on per 50 sq cm. I think (it was a couple of years ago) 4 Baht per 50 sq cm if in Thai. If THai/Falang mix 8 Baht and if all in Falang 15 Baht !

[Farma]

I can confirm this tax is real. The wife’s been paying it on her various businesses for years. Think of it as a council tax as the money goes into the Tessaban budget.

It’s normally calculated on the size of sign across the top of your shop plus any hanging signs (they count the size of both sides of the sign). There was a time when an inspector tried to include window advertising although negotiations at the Tessaban had the window advertising excluded.

I’m not sure on the current amounts but as a guide I believe it’s -

All Thai language – 3 Baht per 500 Sq Cm

Thai language above with other language and picture below – 20 Baht per Sq M

No Thai language – 40 Baht per Sq M

Other language and picture above with Thai language below – 40 Baht per Sq M

[4evermaat]

What threw me off was when they wanted more because thai was below english. We can put thai stickers to satisfy requirement. i wonder how many people really pay this?

"2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from ThaiVisa app.

[12DrinkMore]

What threw me off was when they wanted more because thai was below english. We can put thai stickers to satisfy requirement. i wonder how many people really pay this?

All the Farang business owners around here have to pay it. And yes, the Thai version has to be up there on the top before the English version.

[samsiam]

Can the thai version be very very small ??

It must be upsetting to the little darlings that English is the worlds language...not thai

Edited February 11, 2012 by samsiam

[TwentyBaht]

Yes, I also can confirm this sign tax as real. Sliding scale of tax; Thai only-Thai/English-English only.

And, someone with the city office will go around and photograph signs and measure them. And, prepare a bill. Normally, not a lot. And, can be negotiated.

A very principled Thai lady here has an excellent laundry. But, hard to find. No sign. She refuses to pay the government anything.

Cheers

[wolf5370]

Yep we pay for each sign. If the sign is not attached - i.e. free standing at the roadside, they come along and remove them - not ours, but a local Thai company has had theirs laid down on the grass twice and then taken away (so they do get pissed off if they keep going back up) - they also took away another cafe's sign that was put up a mile or so away infront of ours (which I was going to make disappear too, but they beat me to it - same day!). You pay more for roadside too, apparantly.

Otherwise they post a bill through your letterbox. Out amphur doesn't seem to care about the location of Thai, as long as there is Thai on it. We have a small Thai transliteration of our cafe's name (which is bearly visible as it mucks up the graphics) and that suffices - without it it would be twice the price. For the frontage sign - 4 metres by 500cm it costs us about 1200 baht if non-Thai and 600 when we stuck on the Thia script - it was the nice lady at the amphur who told us to do this. Oddly they do not charge us for large window signs, only frontage and free standing ones.

I live in CM (Hang Dong Amphur for the taxes).

[sbk]

It is Thailand after all and the majority of people who live here are in fact Thai speaking and reading the language so I really dont' see the need to get snarky over a preference for the local language. Try going to Quebec and complain about the signs in French.

Anyway, yes indeed its a real tax, we have been paying it for at least 18 years and this is on a little island.

[wolf5370]

Can the thai version be very very small ??

It must be upsetting to the little darlings that English is the worlds language...not thai

Yep - our is. I think it has to be visible from the road. Our English letters are about 100cm high and Thai about 8cm.

We have other Thai signs that only English on them are things like "WiFi" and "Tel" - but they are on the windows so we don't pay for them.

[wolf5370]

It is Thailand after all and the majority of people who live here are in fact Thai speaking and reading the language so I really dont' see the need to get snarky over a preference for the local language. Try going to Quebec and complain about the signs in French.

Anyway, yes indeed its a real tax, we have been paying it for at least 18 years and this is on a little island.

I don;t think anyone's moaning about the signs being in Thai - just that there is (as usual) a different price for English script signage - in Quebec are the signs on Chinese restaurants in French? Are the Chinese businesses taxed higher because they have Chinese signs? I think not.

Many signs here that are in English script - Honda, Sony, Pepsi - etc, many made in Thailand, but the signs are charged differently (companies taxed higher) because they wish to have signs in English script. Across the road from me is a Thai cafe (one of those cheap open air places with free rat droppings and cockroach with every meal) - they have lit roadside signs advertising Pepsi - wodner if they pay (at all or extra) for that priviledge

[samsiam]

Can you put up a window on the roadside and put a sign in it ??

[wolf5370]

Can you put up a window on the roadside and put a sign in it ??

hahaha I'll have to try that!

[sbk]

It is Thailand after all and the majority of people who live here are in fact Thai speaking and reading the language so I really dont' see the need to get snarky over a preference for the local language. Try going to Quebec and complain about the signs in French.

Anyway, yes indeed its a real tax, we have been paying it for at least 18 years and this is on a little island.

I don;t think anyone's moaning about the signs being in Thai - just that there is (as usual) a different price for English script signage - in Quebec are the signs on Chinese restaurants in French? Are the Chinese businesses taxed higher because they have Chinese signs? I think not.

Many signs here that are in English script - Honda, Sony, Pepsi - etc, many made in Thailand, but the signs are charged differently (companies taxed higher) because they wish to have signs in English script. Across the road from me is a Thai cafe (one of those cheap open air places with free rat droppings and cockroach with every meal) - they have lit roadside signs advertising Pepsi - wodner if they pay (at all or extra) for that priviledge

google is your friend

http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110829/mtl_signs_110829?hub=MontrealHome

and yes Pepsi pays extra.