Thai officials defend buying costly Government House microphones

[nkg]

No Jeremy they do not.

We are currently selling a high value item into Thailand to the government from a (Thailand) tax free zone, full duties and taxes are applied and paid.

The government is not as dodgy as you imply.

This.

Imagine if the Thai government made a law excluding itself from paying import taxes and duties on foreign goods. There would be uproar - everybody would call them hypocrites, and anti-Thai.

They were given a budget, they worked within it, and a chunk of what they paid was returned to government funds via import taxes.

I realise that many people don't have a clear grasp on technology, and 50,000-100,000 Baht sounds like "a lot of money" for a microphone.

[thhMan]

Frantic calls no doubt taking place between both parties after blatantly getting their hand caught in the cookie jar.

If you cannot see through this whole charade you must be blind!

Im sorry.. I must be blind.... Please enlighten me

I buy many electronic parts in Thailand as I build my own high end gaming PC's and also for mates as well.

Ive stopped comparing prices from Online retail stores as they do not reflect Thai prices.

Same goes for GOPRO's etc that I install on my bike when I decide to go crazy on it

[MediaWatcher]

nkg, on 10 Sept 2014 - 23:32, said:

Spoonman, on 10 Sept 2014 - 22:41, said:

JeremyBowskill, on 10 Sept 2014 - 18:24, said:

No Jeremy they do not.

We are currently selling a high value item into Thailand to the government from a (Thailand) tax free zone, full duties and taxes are applied and paid.

The government is not as dodgy as you imply.

This.

Imagine if the Thai government made a law excluding itself from paying import taxes and duties on foreign goods. There would be uproar - everybody would call them hypocrites, and anti-Thai.

They were given a budget, they worked within it, and a chunk of what they paid was returned to government funds via import taxes.

I realise that many people don't have a clear grasp on technology, and 50,000-100,000 Baht sounds like "a lot of money" for a microphone.

I don't know about the Thai government, but I do know the Australian government purchases items tax free, after all, this is a benefit for the nation, and the money saved is used else where.

[airconsult]

nkg, on 10 Sept 2014 - 23:32, said:

Spoonman, on 10 Sept 2014 - 22:41, said:

JeremyBowskill, on 10 Sept 2014 - 18:24, said:

No Jeremy they do not.

We are currently selling a high value item into Thailand to the government from a (Thailand) tax free zone, full duties and taxes are applied and paid.

The government is not as dodgy as you imply.

This.

Imagine if the Thai government made a law excluding itself from paying import taxes and duties on foreign goods. There would be uproar - everybody would call them hypocrites, and anti-Thai.

They were given a budget, they worked within it, and a chunk of what they paid was returned to government funds via import taxes.

I realise that many people don't have a clear grasp on technology, and 50,000-100,000 Baht sounds like "a lot of money" for a microphone.

I don't know about the Thai government, but I do know the Australian government purchases items tax free, after all, this is a benefit for the nation, and the money saved is used else where.

Well, it's also the fact that it doesn't make much sense for an amount to be allocated to their budget from treasury - then tax on it returned to treasury (double-handling). Plus of course it's the tax-payers money you are spending.

I think in Thailand it was decided to do it this way to stop Government departments buying goods, then saying it was a mistake and recovering cost by selling to staff. Certainly there are still certain exemptions - have you seen the price list for pistols if you are working for a ministry or SOE? It's about 60% normal retail.

[tx22cb]

C'mon guy's really, this much cash for mic's in a room for 35 people,,, sorry it doesn't add up for me, after working in a school for 9 years, and on occasion the class would be up to 80 students at a time, NO MIC required,,, I also set up the mic's and sound system for assembly's that would hold over a thousand students plus parents, ONE MIC used under a 100 bucks AU,,, regardless of your political persasion, is this ok or could the cash be far better used elsewhere???

I'd hazard a guess and imagine that your 80 students were 16-year-olds with young ears.

These poor f@rts are >60 and possibly hard of hearing. With the no-nonsense PM chairing the meetings, his appointed counsellors are probably going to do a lot of timid whispering when they are asked to give "their" opinions on the PM's great ideas.

Edited September 11, 2014 by tx22cb

[rametindallas]

I'm trying to see the difference from the current 'clean, corruption free' government's purchase of this microphone system and Yingluck's government purchase of Internet connected clocks. So far, I'm not seeing any difference.

[nkg]

Well, it's also the fact that it doesn't make much sense for an amount to be allocated to their budget from treasury - then tax on it returned to treasury (double-handling). Plus of course it's the tax-payers money you are spending.

I think in Thailand it was decided to do it this way to stop Government departments buying goods, then saying it was a mistake and recovering cost by selling to staff. Certainly there are still certain exemptions - have you seen the price list for pistols if you are working for a ministry or SOE? It's about 60% normal retail.

It doesn't make economic sense, but it makes a great deal of political sense.

Why do public sector employees pay income tax in most countries? A lot of paperwork could be saved if the government just handed out the salaries of doctors, government officials etc tax-free, with the "tax deduction" built into their new, smaller salary.

But then voters would get angry about the "elite government workers" who didn't have to pay tax, even though their salaries were exactly the same as before.

Sometimes political perceptions are more important than economic realities.

[airconsult]

Well, it's also the fact that it doesn't make much sense for an amount to be allocated to their budget from treasury - then tax on it returned to treasury (double-handling). Plus of course it's the tax-payers money you are spending.

I think in Thailand it was decided to do it this way to stop Government departments buying goods, then saying it was a mistake and recovering cost by selling to staff. Certainly there are still certain exemptions - have you seen the price list for pistols if you are working for a ministry or SOE? It's about 60% normal retail.

It doesn't make economic sense, but it makes a great deal of political sense.

Why do public sector employees pay income tax in most countries? A lot of paperwork could be saved if the government just handed out the salaries of doctors, government officials etc tax-free, with the "tax deduction" built into their new, smaller salary.

But then voters would get angry about the "elite government workers" who didn't have to pay tax, even though their salaries were exactly the same as before.

Sometimes political perceptions are more important than economic realities.

The parent (MediaWatcher) was talking about how apparently the Aust Government buys goods (not pays salaries) without paying tax or duties.

I just checked and I understand that public sector employees in Aust pay tax on their salaries, but defence personnel do not.

But this is about Thailand anyway.

Even more OT - I wonder how that works down there anyway? I mean the income tax and import duties are levied by the federal government - what about the state governments? Do they have to pay the federal tax on goods and services?

Edited September 11, 2014 by airconsult

[nkg]

I think this topic has run its course, but I appreciate the thoughtful reply.

I imagine that the answer to your question is a maze of intricate laws and exceptions that deal with every eventuality, in the interests of keeping everything "fair".

By a curious coincidence, that same maze of tax laws undoubtably keeps hundreds or even thousand of extra bureaucrats in a job.

[dominique355]

The microphones are only the tip of the iceberg of corruption in the governments house. As has been reported in the other English newspaper, they also bought some outdated plasma TV sets of 60 inch and low resolution for over 500,000 baht a piece for a panel of 16 such TVs in just one conference room.

Imagine the heat in a single room with 16 plasma TV of 60 inches!. Aircon running full power 24/7.

[srsv1238]

Someone check the good general's bank accounts. You may find what you are looking for there....