Lower tariffs on some luxury products

[phutoie2]

 

The import duties on wine are 393.5%, and then 7.5% VAT on top of that. A $1 bottle ends up costs $13 here. Cheese, I do not know the import tariff. I only know that we are not able to purchase any cheese other than a big block of 2.27 KGs at the Markro for around 790/Baht. Every where else the cheese is so costly we do not look at it at all. 

 

 

BIG C has negotiated favorable taxes. The cheese is 50% cheaper than at MAKRO

 

 

Im off to big C to see if your right... Can make a furtune then  

Yep let us know as I have not seen any reduced price cheese at Big C.

Does the poster mean at one of these super dooper Big C's ??.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 2 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[clockman]

they can never compete with Hong Kong, and Singapore. They are just too greedy

[siampolee]

News Flash.

it has been reported that scout for Harrods has been searching the province of Surin so as to tap the potential market from luxury goods from the local village communities. The opportunities business wise and profit wise created by this government are too fantastic to be missed said a company spokesman whilst relishing a plate of somtam and Plah rah.

Edited September 9, 2013 by siampolee

[nong38]

Is being a shopping Mecca the same as being the world retail HUB?

Can't really see people flocking to Thailand just for the Shopping, it's hardly Rome, Paris or London and you can actually buy a genuine product (not a pirated copy) for a fraction of the price at home.

Thai's really do think the rest of the world are idiots and an easy scam ready to be plucked.

Yes Thailand is a shopping HUB how the rest of the world is unaware is confusing. Rome, Paris and London are Markets on the Thai border, north of Chiang Mai according to my geography professor.

[Cuban]

Will the importation tariff reduction be reflected in retail price reduction?

....just asking !

[drdoom6996]

DrDoom6996

Sounds a bit far fetched. First of all I doubt that many of the ministers wives even talk to each other, let alone socialize. It's not in their nature to be nice to anyone else, they just tolerate them when required. I would summate that King Power, one of the wealthiest family businesses in Thailand is feeling the pinch at the retail level, due to the low quality of tourists arriving, as in the Chinese, Russians and Middle Easterners that make up the bulk of the tourist arrivals do not buy luxury goods. Rich Thais, who can usually get duty free products in the country anyway, are still finding the prices too high, so there is some heavy lobbying going on to make some changes before some peoples livelihoods are jeopardized.

I'm sure of one thing. Sarcasm can not be used on Thai Visa, in any way as no one understand what you are trying to say using sarcasm as a form of communication.

[Pdaz]

The other day I was in a shop and had a demo of a small Bose blue tooth speaker. The sound was fantastic. I asked the price and was told 9,990 Baht. I open my mobile phone to check prices and found that the same speaker is $199 everywhere, so the Bangkok price is 50% higher than anywhere outside of Thailand. It is crazy. How about food supplements? I'd love to purchase them in Thailand, but they are beyond my means. I order in the USA and wait for someone who is flying this way to carry them.

Is this something you just discovered? Thanks for bringing it to our attention as I'm sure this is news to everyone. So when you factor in the cost of return airfare to go anywhere else to buy the Bose speaker, the Thai price is really a bargain!

That's pretty typical actually. A couple of Months back I decided to buy some Sonos HiFi units for my house. Checked online and there was a distributor in BKK. I went in to check it out while in the vicinity. Only had one unit in stock, I needed two. Plus the other units I wanted weren't available. Price was 10,000 baht higher than advertised in US ( that was expected ) when asked about ordering what I needed I was told it would take around four weeks to arrive. I declined and went home. Ordered the units I wanted online and had them sent to a freight forwarder (free delivery) who sent them to me. Took four days total and even after paying taxes I'd saved around 16k baht on the total Thai price.. TBH I rarely bother shopping for quality items here as they are either unavailable or overpriced. Hand carry it in/get a friend to bring it. Or just order online. Even with tax/shipping it's usually cheaper and definitely less frustrating.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I'm sure any import tariff reductions will be highly selective (very specific items which sell little in Thailand) to minimize any significant tax loss but at the same time the govt putting out news releases that will make it sound like many imports are now significantly cheaper. Summary: a cheap publicity stunt with little real substance. I would like to be wrong, hope I am wrong, but I probably won't be wrong...but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I heard they've lately reduced the tariff on cheap publicity stunts.... So we certainly can expect to see a lot of them, this being Thailand, after all.

[Thai at Heart]

Well, if you were expecting the baht to devalue, and you didn't want tourists to be put off with the Baht price maybe being 10 or 15% higher, this is what you would do right?

Quite how they manage to get 300% on a bottle of wine is absolultely beyond me though.

[boomerangutang]

I came back from the States and brought a full page ad from a newspaper, which showed about 60 electronic items on sale. I then went to a local electronic/computer shop in my town of Chiang Rai, and showed the prices to the owner, because she always claimed her prices were so low. When she looked at the ad page, she said it must be fake, or maybe 'bait and switch' in order to bring customers to that store. It wasn't, but it was a good example (to me) of flat out denial by her - that prices in Thailand (for many items, including electronic gizmos) are considerably higher than same items in farang countries.

I rarely visit my former home of California, but when I do, just before returning to Thailand, I go to a big thrift store, buy two large suitcases (about $5 each, good condition) and fill them with stuff, mostly clothes - to take back to Thailand. Most of the stuff I give away to neighbors, so I'm like a Santa Claus, when I return here. Clothes, toys, gizmos, CDs are all cheap and often good quality at US thrift stores (and garage sales) which are ubiquitous in the US. Neither exist in Thailand, so even the poorest Thais and hill tribers are compelled to buy everything retail.

So when I hear of a story like the OP here, it makes me want to puke - because it's all image, and no substance, and trying to appear hi-so (and failing). Typical Thai style.

[Thai at Heart]

Will the importation tariff reduction be reflected in retail price reduction?

....just asking !

Very silly question. Where is the competition to make it happen?

[Jay Sata]

It's just a scheme to increase King Powers margins.

[CBR250]

The import duties on wine are 393.5%, and then 7.5% VAT on top of that. A $1 bottle ends up costs $13 here. Cheese, I do not know the import tariff. I only know that we are not able to purchase any cheese other than a big block of 2.27 KGs at the Markro for around 790/Baht. Every where else the cheese is so costly we do not look at it at all.

I thought the free trade agreement with Australia meant that by 2012 there were no longer any import duties on Australian wine. I did wonder when I first read this about the FTA how Thailand would sort out the issue of cheaper Australian wine vs more expensive French / Chilean / Sth African / US wines.

[selftaopath]

Wouldn't it be nice/beneficial if cars/trucks made in Thailand were not obsessively taxed and called "imports" ? How would that impact the current culture and elites?

[OMGImInPattaya]

The other day I was in a shop and had a demo of a small Bose blue tooth speaker. The sound was fantastic. I asked the price and was told 9,990 Baht. I open my mobile phone to check prices and found that the same speaker is $199 everywhere, so the Bangkok price is 50% higher than anywhere outside of Thailand. It is crazy. How about food supplements? I'd love to purchase them in Thailand, but they are beyond my means. I order in the USA and wait for someone who is flying this way to carry them.

Is this something you just discovered? Thanks for bringing it to our attention as I'm sure this is news to everyone. So when you factor in the cost of return airfare to go anywhere else to buy the Bose speaker, the Thai price is really a bargain!

That's pretty typical actually. A couple of Months back I decided to buy some Sonos HiFi units for my house. Checked online and there was a distributor in BKK. I went in to check it out while in the vicinity. Only had one unit in stock, I needed two. Plus the other units I wanted weren't available. Price was 10,000 baht higher than advertised in US ( that was expected ) when asked about ordering what I needed I was told it would take around four weeks to arrive. I declined and went home. Ordered the units I wanted online and had them sent to a freight forwarder (free delivery) who sent them to me. Took four days total and even after paying taxes I'd saved around 16k baht on the total Thai price.. TBH I rarely bother shopping for quality items here as they are either unavailable or overpriced. Hand carry it in/get a friend to bring it. Or just order online. Even with tax/shipping it's usually cheaper and definitely less frustrating.

Where do you order stuff online...from Thai based online retailers or from sin or hkg based stores or from places like azm/eBay? I have ordered from azm in the past but by the time the customs boys take their cut, there's rarely much savings over buying in-store.

[jackspratt]

I have purchased perfume once in my whole life. It was for my mom. Maybe that is why I am still single...

Probably not.

As

...............an Australian, single and an entirely self made millionaire............

it must be something far more basic.

[djlest]

with the ASEAN looming - if they ever did reduce import tarrifs because they would have too - a lot of the customs mafia would lose big time
Already i see Thailand shuddering at the fact that they shouldnt join AEC - ofcourse if it becomes tax free in Asia, you bet the tax from U or Europe will be bumped up to compensate.

It really is pathetic that Thailand, the apparent HUB OF SHOPPING! cant even compete with the likes of Singapore or Malaysia or even Cambodia on prices.
With so many greedy and uneducated powers that be. It just gets worse and worse.

Its not as if Thailand has any major cosmetics companies here that are threatened by the likes of International ones

Its just they want 40% tax on imports for the same reason they want 100% tax on cars and 300% tax on wine!
They are T@@TS!