PM Yingluck warns of tough action against tax payment refusal

[webfact]

Thai PM warns of tough action against tax payment refusal
By English News



BANGKOK, Nov 13 – Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra called on the Thai people to exercise discretion in the wake of a publicly-announced call for civil disobedience on stopping work and not paying taxes.

She said she will instruct legal experts to find ways to take legal action against any movement leading people to not pay taxes, stressing that the authorities will nonetheless deal with anti-government protesters with patience.

“If people stop working or paying taxes, the country will come to a halt and the economy will be damaged. People should use their judgement. The government has suspended the amnesty bill. People should trust (the government) and stop their demonstrations,” said Ms Yingluck.

She said the government has many obligations to fulfill and warned that domestic unrest will deter foreign leaders and investors from investing in Thailand.

People should give the government a chance to do its work, she added.

Deputy Finance Minister Benja Louischaroen said she did not believe people will refuse to pay taxes and that the Finance Ministry will not have to prepare any measures since the national revenue will not be affected.

“Those joining the political demonstrations are patriotic. Paying taxes is the duty of every patriot in Thailand,” she said.

She gave assurances that the Revenue Department will not especially investigate tax payment records of anti-government demonstrators but those who fail to pay taxes will be fined.

She said the month-long demonstrations had no impact on state revenues and that the Revenue Department’s tax collections were higher than the projected Bt7 billion due to the people’s usual consumption. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-11-13

[notmyself]

If people stop working or paying taxes, the country will come to a halt and the economy will be damaged. People should use their judgement. The government has suspended the amnesty bill. People should trust (the government) and stop their demonstrations, said Ms Yingluck.

Well there we have it (bold).

[tominbkk]

Tell your bro to pay his taxes! Set a good example!

[Thainy Tim]

What about the millions who should have been paying taxes for years and still pay none?

Where is their punishment?

[Felt 35]

Seriously Yingluck........3million people pay tax on a workforce of 38 million.......

http://asiancorrespondent.com/110344/income-tax-equality-and-the-thai-budget/

[Local Drunk]

Perhaps the PM should spend our tax dollars more wisely ...

[JRSoul]

Tell your bro to pay his taxes! Set a good example!

I thought she was having a cheap shot at him with "Paying taxes is the duty of every patriot in Thailand,” until I realised the let off - he's not in Thailand.

"People should give the government a chance to do its work", she added. I'm sure that they are going to start soon.

[NongKhaiKid]

Perhaps the PM should spend our tax dollars more wisely ...

But so many countries to visit and perhaps so little time !

They say Montenegro is nice at this time of year .

[JRSoul]

Seriously Yingluck........3million people pay tax on a workforce of 38 million.......

http://asiancorrespondent.com/110344/income-tax-equality-and-the-thai-budget/

Not so! 3 million (using your figure) pay INCOME tax, but nearly all the workforce will pay sales tax, alcohol and cigarette duty, motor vehicle registration fees and the myriad other taxes we endure. While the entry figure for income tax is high, the OTHER taxes are all flat taxes which have a higher impact on low income earners as they take a significantly higher proportion of their incomes.

Low income earners would be better off if the progressive income tax entry was lower, and the flat taxes decreased. But no, the talk and move is always to increase the flat taxes, while company tax has been markedly decreased. PTP purport to be a party for the poor, but their actions benefit the wealthy (aka themselves), especially the hugely expensive rice scam.

[Ricardo]

Interesting reaction, to a call for the delay (and not non-payment) of corporate-taxes, that it will damage the economy.

This is the government which has, for the past two years, been spending money they don't have, on schemes of limited economic-benefit, and running the country onto the financial-rocks, as warned by Moody's. PTP's 'white lies' approach to finance has taken GDP-growth of 5%, and given the economy a technical-recession, instead.

But surely they can withstand a slight delay in the collection of a small part of their revenues ... can't they ?

Or are things really so very bad ?

Edited November 12, 2013 by Ricardo

[NongKhaiKid]

Good old YL, don't pay your taxes and my government will have you but be as corrupt as you want and we'll find a way to grant amnesty.

[Local Drunk]

Perhaps the PM should spend our tax dollars more wisely ...

But so many countries to visit and perhaps so little time !

They say Montenegro is nice at this time of year .

Honestly, no one in this govt. seems to be able to open their mouths without putting both feet in...

[Thait Spot]

More ammo to Suthep

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[hansgruber]

Pay your taxes because we have ran out of money to siphon

[MaxLee]

Pay back the trillion kachillian Baht that your puppet government has wasted all away for those mega scams projects for nothing first, before you swing your behind to Hawaii

Edited November 13, 2013 by MaxLee

[Thai at Heart]

I don't think it's really the prime minister's job to tell the people not to break the law.

I wonder why aren't MPs tax returns for the year public data. We get asset returns, but we never see income declarations.

[mrtoad]

The more she talks, the more ammo she's now giving to he demonstrators. Has the puppet gone rogue?

[JRSoul]

Every day she looks more like that thing that popped its head out of the guy's guts in Alien.

[noikrit]

Every day she looks more like that thing that popped its head out of the guy's guts in Alien.

[lemoncake]

People should believe the government!!!!- ha ha ha

Up till now government has been very honest??

[Hawkman]

I can't believe she said the bill is "suspended"!!!! True colours have been shown. She said they had withdrawn their support for it. What a horrible, lying, hypocritical mob we have running the show.

[coma]

“Those joining the political demonstrations are patriotic. Paying taxes is the duty of every patriot in Thailand,” she said.

Interesting comment considering that the vast majority of Thais don't pay income taxes.

[Thait Spot]

The more she talks, the more ammo she's now giving to he demonstrators. Has the puppet gone rogue?

It certainly looks to me that she is writing her own speeches now.

She must be overcome

(apologies for the double entendre)

[robblok]

This is funny, anyway its a better way of protesting then burning BKK down like some thugs did last time around. I believe they were hired by a certain Mr Taksin. This freezing (not canceling) of paying taxes will hurt the economy less and it will force the government to stop wasting money and skimming money.

This is the way, hurting the government where it really hurts, now they cant skim money off or do their expensive projects. It might really force the government down because they are spending too much already.

This means they cant keep bribing the reds with money stolen from the normal taxpayer and they will have to do without it and might not vote for the reds again.

I find it really unfair that those paying "normal not wealthy salary people" are not getting the benefit and it all goes to bribe votes back in Isarn. I spoken to a few protestors they hate how their tax money is wasted like this. It really irks them to see that it is used to keep the reds in power and feed their corrupt politicians and fund the brainwash campaign of red schools and red media.

It must hurt to see your taxes being used to bribe the poor to keep in power to steal more of your taxes.

[webfact]

Police to summon Suthep, Makkhawan protest leaders
By English News



BANGKOK, Nov 13 – Police will summon former Democrat MP Suthep Thaugsuban on charges of creating disturbances and instigating civil disobedience in the country.

Police said they will issue a summons for Mr Suthep after a group of people lodged complaints at Samran Rat police station, accusing the former Surat Thani MP of creating unrest in the kingdom and leading the public to breach the law.

Mr Suthep called for civil disobedience Monday night, urging the Thai people to stop working today through Friday, for the private sector to slow tax payments, asking the public to fly Thai flags or display stickers, and to blow whistles whenever they encounter government members.

Police said employers are allowed to file lawsuits against employees for refusing to work. An offender is subject to the maximum jail term of three years or a fine of Bt6,000, or both.

Meanwhile, Nang Loeng police will also issue a summons for Nitithorn Lamlua and Uthai Yodmanee, two leaders of the Network of Students and People for Thailand’s Reform which is demonstrating at Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge near Government House.

Deputy Metropolitan Police Commander Adul Narongsak said the group has intruded into off-limits zones under the enforcement of the Internal Security Act – an offence liable to the maximum jail term of one year or a maximum fine of Bt20,000, or both. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-11-13

[JRSoul]

My hypocrisy meter, despite its exponential scale, is topping out with this lot. Red leaders who incited far worse were rewarded with party list MP seats in this government.

Employers can sue employees for refusing to work, with 3 years in jail as a penalty. What, no lash? Perhaps employees should be branded so that we know who they belong to.

[Time Traveller]

"She said the month-long demonstrations had no impact on state revenues and that the Revenue Department’s tax collections were higher than the projected Bt7 billion due to the people’s usual consumption." -

So why is it taking so long to get my tax return refunded this year? Anyone else having this problem?

[tominbkk]

How many protestors right now? Is the protest growing or waning?

[tingtongteesood]

She keeps pleading for people to 'trust me, trust the government' - well so far you have done NOTHING WHATSOEVER to show that you are in the least bit trustworthy, in fact you have done quite the opposite. So why the hell would we trust you now when you have lied and cheated and stolen mucho money from the country for yourselves not to mention tried your best at every turn to subvert the law to benefit the puppet master fugitive criminal on the run ?! Give us ONE good reason why we should trust you !?

[Showbags]

Problem with each individual or company deferring their taxes is that it is a personal thing, each person or each person within the company delaying it, they then have to deal with the tax mafia when they come calling and we all know Thais are not so gallant when not in mobs....I fear they will quake in their boots and pay up when faced alone with the dilemma