Hundreds of supercars 'missing' - Thai customs

[webfact]

Hundreds of supercars ‘missing’
By Coconuts Bangkok


Photo: Lamborghini

BANGKOK: -- Customs officials are scratching their heads and trying to figure out what happened to hundreds of high-end cars that just disappeared.

Customs officials can’t account for up to 500 imported cars which have disappeared from privately held warehouses where they were supposed to be held until buyers could be found who would have to pay the car’s purchase price, plus around 200-percent tax.

The director-general of the Customs Department, Somchai Sujjapongse, said he believes that the missing cars may have been taken and sold illegally without paying the duties.

Apparently the cars vanished two months ago and customs has been searching for them. Since then, around 100 cars have been found, the Bangkok Post reports.

Import cars tax evasion has been a long-standing problem in Thailand. [read more..]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co//2014/09/05/hundreds-supercars-missing


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2014-09-05

[robertthebruce]

Now there's a surprise... Saying that 200 percent tax ?? A bit steep...

[ChrisY1]

Customs department loses 500 cars........!!!

Really they should have kept this a little quiet.....talk about losing face...!!

No doubt they're mostly registered now.....and being driven around town...or sold....whatever....you have to have a bit of a giggle at the efficiency of many of the Thai Government departments!

[TallPalm]

'Import cars tax evasion has been a long-standing problem in Thailand'. Hmm, perhaps the tax rates are cause?

[Snig27]

The higher the tax, the more likely a black market will exist. You'll never stop this sort of thing but economists the world over long ago recognized that excessive taxation on goods like this is self defeating. The other problem too is that large numbers of these would have disappeared into our leaders core support base. Happiness x 500 in that demographic right now.

[clockman]

Customs is another very lack of transparency department. That should be investigated!

[CMFarang]

WORTH Every Satang

1 - keeps the traffic jams lighter

2 - adds to resale price

3 - status symbol that people can easily recognize

4 - the rest of us drive 2500 cc or less, so we are easy to pass

5 - Fastest way out of here

6 - still drive like you are on the old honda dream. No matter how rich you are.

7 - police would never pull you over. FEAR of promotions lost

Not enough time to list the benefits today

As for customs, every time I have to deal with them the extortion is blatant.

? ? ?

Edited September 5, 2014 by CMFarang

[seajae]

of course they still have all the paper work so that they can identify them with engine numbers etc, oh, wait, dont tell me that went missing as well

[Chang_paarp]

In other places, if the customs department lost one or two cars there would be all sorts of enquiries, but 500!!! Time to look for "unexplained wealth" in department and warehouse employees and their superiors.

[tezzainoz]

How hard is it to find top end exotic cars

there are not that many on the road to trace down

a check of registration on a particular model will soon show when they where first registered

unlass there are hundred of these exotic supe cars sitting in lounge rooms all over Bangkok

[iReason]

" Customs officials are scratching their heads and trying to figure out what happened to hundreds of high-end cars that just disappeared."

"missing"?

[Nickymaster]

Customs department loses 500 cars........!!!

Really they should have kept this a little quiet.....talk about losing face...!!

No doubt they're mostly registered now.....and being driven around town...or sold....whatever....you have to have a bit of a giggle at the efficiency of many of the Thai Government departments!

They kept it quiet for a long time but for some reason they couldn't anymore...

[keemapoot]

Pretty obvious I would think:

[gchurch259]

_{Guess an 'Ole Georgia/Texas" boy would suggest the Police stop and check the papers on all the Super Cars Speeding around town and highways.}

_{Really there is no need for such cars in this country any way, too dangerous in the wrong hands !!}

_{By the way, Where is the Red Bull Twerp that killed the policman in BKK ???}

[Spoonman]

I wonder how many shiney red 2 door V10 "1972 toyota corolla's" are rolling round the soi's ?

[DrLom]

Brand new Diablo for sale. Unoriginal chassis number - but in good working order - offers please.

Ooops..... wrong forum.

[Deli]

Red Bull garage, maybe ?

[Jeffrey346]

Interesting how 200 cars simply vanished in the last 60 days...

[Paulzed]

Sounds like the old three card trick to me

[keemapoot]

Home improvement stores are reporting a run on high end kitchen remodeling requests by smartly clad middle aged wives of civil servants.

[jacky54]

Used to live near a low paid customs official named' mr big' he owned four condos and several hi end cars, jeeps and 4x4's Not bad for somebody on his money!

[Mango Bob]

Sounds like that Nicholas Cage movie "Gone in 60 Seconds".

[kkup]

Time to check the garage of director-general Somchai Sujjapongse..

[tx22cb]

Warehouses which store such expensive impounded goods must have CCTV - just check the "footage".

Otherwise, sue the warehouse operators.

[retell]

Dont tell me the warehouse is run by the same bloke as the rice storage ones

[JacChang]

Just look at their house parking lot.

[transam]

WoW, some rascal must have changed the mufflers on quite a few of them to get away with that eh........

[Globeman]

'Import cars tax evasion has been a long-standing problem in Thailand'. Hmm, perhaps the tax rates are cause?

Or perhaps rich pricks who are too greedy, tightfisted and "entitled" to pay the tax on high-end luxury cars are the cause.

In many cases, this would be the only time these people actually pay their fair share of tax.

Edited September 5, 2014 by Globeman

[SOTIRIOS]

.....seems to unfold like the rice scheme....

[Woodsie888]

These cars are usually stored in bonded warehouses at either Laem Chabang, Klongtoei Port or Lat Krabang Duty Free Zones. The warehouse responsible to the Customs Department for payment of taxes if the car has gone missing, end of story.

Edited September 5, 2014 by Woodsie888