Thailand: Alcohol excise taxes raised

[smedly]

They steal 18-20% of the countries G.D.P. and then want to tax any small pleasure. We wait and wonder!

Well how else do you propose they pay it back?

Out of their own pocket?

Hahaha...

These things happen in farangland as well, so why should Thailand be any different?

3-7 baht on the price of a beer, should, to the majority of TVF members, not affect their daily consumption intakes

If it does, well, one should really consider drinking tea..

It is actually a huge rise and will feed inflation, it wasn't that long ago this government increased booze prices, the unfortunate thing here is that they are slowly but surely picking up the government habits of the west - poor management of tax payers money feeding populous policies resulting in the need to tax the poor - look were it got them

Factor in a similar rise every year for the next 10 years and you get an idea of were this country is headed - fuel booze and smokes 15% per year (fuel will increase the price of everything you buy) This government is destroying Thailand at a shocking pace.

Don't forget that in the west salaries went up every year to compensate for the rise in inflation and taxation - that will not happen for Thai people - they will just get poorer and poorer

[Cleveland]

Baccara Soi Cowboy, Bangkok. Before: Almost any beverage, water to whiskey was 160 Baht. Now it's 180 Baht. If not for the boys from the Land of the Rising Sun...

Please don't post back and say other countries are this /that, we are here so why compare, only we can compare with how it was 2 years ago. Then check back on all things, food-drink-electric-bottle gas etc.

I would have thought it was very useful information posting alternative places since a large proportion of TV posters seem to be very low income interested mainly in drinking and whoring, both of which can be done considerably cheaper elsewhere nowadays.

[steelepulse]

What was the tax that was added and or raised when ASEAN free trade came into play? Of course it was just a protectionism tax to keep the local brewers and whisky makers happy and politicians pockets full of envelopes. I was looking forward to some regional beers at competitive prices but the new tax added ruled that thought right out.

[kevinsan]

Tourist should receive a rebate on departure just like the VAT.

[bander]

Somchai Poolsawasdi, director-general of the Excise Department

There's always a Somchai behind every poor decision in this neck of the woods.

Not surprising, half the population here have that name :-)

[nong38]

The price of LEO went up from 47 to 50 bts in several of our local shops last week, now I know why.

[ginjag]

Baccara Soi Cowboy, Bangkok. Before: Almost any beverage, water to whiskey was 160 Baht. Now it's 180 Baht. If not for the boys from the Land of the Rising Sun...

Please don't post back and say other countries are this /that, we are here so why compare, only we can compare with how it was 2 years ago. Then check back on all things, food-drink-electric-bottle gas etc.

I would have thought it was very useful information posting alternative places since a large proportion of TV posters seem to be very low income interested mainly in drinking and whoring, both of which can be done considerably cheaper elsewhere nowadays.

You said, "a large proportion seem to be on very low income interest's drinking and whoring" <deleted>, you have done a poll??? You have no idea who has what. Granted there are the heavy drinkers and those who want to have sex. You want to compare -go ahead, if you feel better that prices are lower in Cambodia.

This is not good news for TAT customers, but most of all for the Thai people on low incomes.

Is it I'm alright jack??? I have monies to cover any increase.

[Pib]

In the Bangkok Post today they are reporting the price of a bottle of beer will increase by 3 to 7 baht per bottle The Thai wife heard on the local news last night the average would be 4 baht per bottler. Maybe I'll find out today when I go buy a case of Chang Draught at Lotus.

Of course this will have little affect on Thailand's "official" inflation figures since Tobacco and Alcoholic Beverages only make up 1.2% of the basket of goods used to determine these inflation values.

By the way, the inflation for Tobacco and Alcoholic Beverages increase from Aug 12 to Aug 13 was 5.4% according to the Bank of Thailand inflation statistics for Aug 13 just released.

[shaurene]

get me a good exchange rate and i really dont care what you do. But alot of ppl do and will go somewhere else around the perimeter of the country for cheapppp booze

It is rise in the tax so will not be cheaper other places in general at the shops, bars etc yes have to shop around

[smoochy]

3-7 THB per Leo? I can probably handle that.

[buddy]

They steal 18-20% of the countries G.D.P. and then want to tax any small pleasure. We wait and wonder!

...and tax legitimate Falang businesses and give no benefit back!

Down right out and out Fxxxxxx legal thievery.

[shaurene]

What was the tax that was added and or raised when ASEAN free trade came into play? Of course it was just a protectionism tax to keep the local brewers and whisky makers happy and politicians pockets full of envelopes. I was looking forward to some regional beers at competitive prices but the new tax added ruled that thought right out.

The free trade agreement makes no difference to alcohol or tobacco they do not alter the Government tax duties on these products

[yimlitnoy]

Even before this increase, I could only afford to go to my favorite Silom pub (The Pintman) during happy hours. Thailand is now very expensive almost everywhere except the street corner fried rice shop. In my mind I am considering Cambodia next for Anchor beer at 50 cents during happy hours and $1 in all other time...

[rayw]

Okay then that means getting duty free booze at BKK airport is going to now be a lot cheaper than at Tescos or your local booze store. I am sure the duty free shops wont try profiteering and raising their prices when ther is no excuse to do so !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just make sure next time you buy duty free booze here at BKK airport that the price has not changed at least since last week, if it has gone up then say sod off to the duty free shop as they have NO justification for any rise. Stop letting these highly profiteering duty free shops rob you and rip you off as they have been doing for years, only way to stop it is to boycott them of course until they tow the line and make a decent and fair profit only.

Sorry but generally I am not opposed to raising tax on unnecessary unhealthy items like booze and tobacco as happens now in most western nations too. It is an encouragement for us all to drink and/or smoke less which is no bad thing. I do like a tipple of good scotch whiskey myself though, so I will just have to drink a little less of it or pay the new excess tax. Up to me entirely so at least not an enforced tax I cannot avoid.

[shaurene]

So excise tax will go up by 7-15%.

How much is the excise tax now?

How much extra will there be on a bottle of imported scotch?

As far as I know there is a 60% tax on the cost +shipping cost and then another 60% for a state type tax on the cost + the shipping + the import tax totals.

[chuang]

Don't drink if you can't afford it....

[yourauntbob]

When i first got here i thought alcohol was cheap, but under further inspection it is getting quit expensive. Back in the states I recently got a decent case of beer (24x12ounces) for about $20. Here I get 12x22 of Singha for about the same price. Singha is not nearly as good. The good news is that between the high prices and low quality I am drinking a lot less.

[yourauntbob]

Okay then that means getting duty free booze at BKK airport is going to now be a lot cheaper than at Tescos or your local booze store. I am sure the duty free shops wont try profiteering and raising their prices when ther is no excuse to do so !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just make sure next time you buy duty free booze here at BKK airport that the price has not changed at least since last week, if it has gone up then say sod off to the duty free shop as they have NO justification for any rise. Stop letting these highly profiteering duty free shops rob you and rip you off as they have been doing for years, only way to stop it is to boycott them of course until they tow the line and make a decent and fair profit only.

Sorry but generally I am not opposed to raising tax on unnecessary unhealthy items like booze and tobacco as happens now in most western nations too. It is an encouragement for us all to drink and/or smoke less which is no bad thing. I do like a tipple of good scotch whiskey myself though, so I will just have to drink a little less of it or pay the new excess tax. Up to me entirely so at least not an enforced tax I cannot avoid.

i always do the duty free shops outside of Thailand for booze. Thailand's "duty free" is the most expensive i have seen world wide.

[razer]

... especially for imported ... can't wait until 2015.

[indieke]

Why raise those taxes again and again? Thailand has become less interesting with the years. Look at the prices of everything imaginable, and you come to the conclusion, it becomes difficult for retired expats as well people escaping the cold of winter. Look at prices of rents, taxi's, and yes for the single person of girls keeping you company.

I am NOT a beer -drinker, far from that. But I like in the evening on the terrace outside, to finish the evening a nice bottle of wine. Indeed for 600 bht (would cost me 300 here), I have far from prime wine. Now this will cost me even more.

I understand that people are turning to other countries. The Philippines get more and more guys from Thailand, for example, so will Vietnam and Cambodia. In the Philippines, wine is reasonable priced and when an effort will be made to get infrastructure a bit better, maybe it will be a better place. Yes safety is an issue, but I not feel as safe in Thailand as 10 years ago either.

And then people on this board, know a bit about the country. Go in a bit tourist places, and see what is charged to the tourist now, who not know sh*t about the prices. I not like to say things are going downhill, but compare everything with 15 years ago makes you cry. Everything is done, not to make life better, but to worship the holy Baht! And I am not talking about alcohol, but nature that is destroyed, bribes being taking to destroy that same nature, corals, houses being build on places, that are not made for this, and provide human disasters.

And then I am not talking about the rude attitude of the Thais, that was not there, when I discovered the country 25 years ago.

This boy, is seriously thinking spending his time somewhere else...

[Bakseeda]

get me a good exchange rate and i really dont care what you do. But alot of ppl do and will go somewhere else around the perimeter of the country for cheapppp booze

I recommend Cambodia for heavy drinkers. It is a heaven for drinkers. 1 lt. Jack Daniels Black is only $19.9 USD (little bit less than half price of Thailand) and 1 pack of Marlboro is $1.05 USD. Some food stuff (like Pistachio) is much cheaper even though they are imported from Thailand.

Good thing about Cambodia is USD is the primary currency and ATMs dispense USD.

Ok the JD is real stuff, but all the ciggs are counterfeit .. and I don't know about a haven for heavy drinkers, but I do know its a haven for those guys that like young girls and boys... I think I will stick to Thailand and stay away from that dirty smelly rotten country.. its a sh**hole....

[Commander Tamson]

The excuse to raise tax on foreign booze is always 'it's more dangerous' (made by evil Farang ). If they could track down and tax the local village distillery's they would have enough income to clear the rice debt in about a month; but all they are doing is encouraging people to open more and help to shorten the lives of their own population.

We know it's all a knee-jerk reaction to the rice debt which is self inflicted but, it's rubber next....so get plenty of stock in before the next tax hike !

Great idea - anybody know where I can stock up on some cheap rubber

[RogueLeader]

get me a good exchange rate and i really dont care what you do. But alot of ppl do and will go somewhere else around the perimeter of the country for cheapppp booze

Yep. It's all about you, Lee.

[djlest]

Its not just a small rise it is the start of something irreversable

Look what happened in the UK? The alcohol prices went up and up and the recession hit

I watched as pubs that have been open in my town for over 100 years shut down forever, the only ones left now are wetherspoons corporate family bars. No personality and no fun and not even music!

Everyone just stays home and buys cans from tesco!

What goes up in Taxes never comes down!

The reason Thailand became so expensive for many things was a few years ago when the gasoline wars were on, the rates for everything shot up, food prices went up and street vendors adjusted accordingly.

Then the Gasoline wars ended and came back down to what they were, but Thailands prices never did, infact they have just been creeping up ever since.

In 10 years the price of street food has DOUBLED! and in some cases Tripled! And while the rest of the worlds currency has fallen...

A visit back in Blighty last month and i actually felt the place was cheaper than Thailand for many many things, 3 quid bottles of wine, 50 pence for shampoo and conditioners, pound shops everywhere and quality jeans for 10 quid!
Goodbye Thailand and hello back home
Soon we will be going back to the West because things are cheaper there, i guarantee it will come in this lifetime! if not the next 10 years!

[GrantSmith]

The free trade agreement makes no difference to alcohol or tobacco they do not alter the Government tax duties on these products

Sorry old chum but it does make a difference...

Australian wine is taxed at a further 8% to its locally produced counterpart. This will be 4% next year and 0% by 2015.

French wine is taxed much higher, as are US and Italian wines...

[GrantSmith]

No rise in the price of wine today where I had lunch...

The question that I have is that if the wine isn't traded in retail, how does it attract this new increase, given that it is based on the last retail trade of the item?

[GrantSmith]

As far as I know there is a 60% tax on the cost +shipping cost and then another 60% for a state type tax on the cost + the shipping + the import tax totals.

60% Excise Tax + import tax (depending on country) + 10% provincial tax + 7% VAT + 2% Health Tax

[webfact]

UPDATE:
Excise dept cashes in on higher tabs
By English News

BANGKOK, Sept 4 – Taxes on alcoholic drinks including beer, wine and liquor are up 10-15 per cent, starting today, with the Excise Department predicting a growth in revenue from taxes at more than Bt10 billion this year.

The Cabinet yesterday approved a new tax package which would be calculated either from product value or alcohol content.

Somchai Poolsavasdi, Excise Department director general, said taxes for beer would be Bt155 per litre of pure alcohol or Bt8 per litre of product value.

Traders will be required to pay for either of the two categories, based on the higher fee.

Tax for wine will be Bt1,000 per litre of pure alcohol and local liquor will be subject to an extra Bt3 per litre of alcohol degree.

The Excise Department forecast a total revenue at Bt130 billion from liquor, wine and beer this year, he said.

Singh Corporation, one of Thailand’s major beer suppliers, said the company has yet to announce a revised wholesale price of its beers. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-09-04

[keithcresswell]

Yesterday a box of 24 small Singha cost 690 baht. Today its 858 baht. I make that a shade over 24%!

[MESmith]

Yesterday a box of 24 small Singha cost 690 baht. Today its 858 baht. I make that a shade over 24%!

Shouldn't the new prices apply to future deliveries to the shops, not to existing stock that's been on the shelf for a while?