Drinking Age To Be Raised To 20

[udon]

Drinking age to be raised to 20

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's Cabinet Tuesday decided to raise the threshold making the legal age for liquor consumption to be age 20 and to complete the process to enforce the new regulation along with the total ban on liquor commercials by November.

Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla said the Cabinet discussed the legal drinking age, which was originally pondered to be 25, and decided on 20.

The Disease Control Department will work out details of the draft Alcoholic Beverage Consumption Control Act before seeking Cabinet approval. After Cabinet endorsement, the draft will be sent to the Council of State and the whole process which leads to enforcement of this new rule should be completed by November, according to Dr. Mongkol.

Apart from setting the drinking age, the Cabinet also discussed complaints about the impact of the Food and Drug Administration's order banning liquor advertisements around the clock that will result in a Bt200 million revenue loss to the state.

Dr. Mongkol said the Cabinet is of the view that advertising revenue from the alcoholic drink sector is neither significant nor sustainable. The Cabinet is pondering a possible solution in the form of increasing the so-called 'sin tax' – doubling the collection of "health promotion" duties on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages from the current rate of two per cent to four per cent.

To address potential constraints in implementing the law, Dr. Mongkol said the Public Health Ministry will invite the private sector and all stakeholders to discuss enforcement.

--TNA 2006-10-25

[VanZam]

20.. thats a far better idea than 25, although I would be very interested to see how this affects bar staff... do you have to be over 20 to serve drinks ?

[Jai Dee]

Tax on alcohol to be raised by 2 per cent

Excise tax collected on alcohol sales would be raised about 2 per cent to raise an extra Bt2 billion a year to help subsidise local sports, which stand to lose significant sponsorship from the ban on alcohol advertising.

The tax rise was proposed by a government committee set up by the Cabinet to reassess the Alcohol Control Act, which met yesterday.

The meeting approved raising the age limit at which people can buy alcohol from 18 to 20 years old.

The committee, made up of officials from the Culture, Tourism and Sports, Education, Commerce, Justice, and Public Health ministries, is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Kosit Panpiemras.

Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said the tax-rise proposal stemmed from concern about the loss of Bt200 million worth of sponsorship a year from beverage companies that subsidised the sports sector - after the ban on alcohol ads, due to start in December.

The tax rise would bring in more than Bt2 billion in excise income. The additional tax would be added to a 2-per-cent tax collected by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and could go to sports sponsorship.

Officials at the meeting resolved to increase the minimum age at which people can purchase alcoholic drinks. The new proposed age limit - 20 years - replaces the original proposal to raise the minimum drinking age to 25 in the Alcohol Control Act. Cabinet said last week the issue should be reconsidered.

Health Minister Mongkol said: "At the age of 20, people reach their maturity and can legally enter nightclubs. It would be convenient for officers and sellers to follow the law [for this age]."

The revised bill will be put to the Cabinet next month.

Prasarn Maruekkapitak, from the Social Venture Network, called on drink companies yesterday to support a 24-hour ban on alcohol ads, saying that alcohol producers made as much as Bt100 billion a year - while the health costs caused by alcohol were five times that amount.

"From 1996 to 2003, the number of new drinkers aged from 11 to 19 increased by six times, or 1.6 million people. This means 32 per cent of people of that age became drinkers. The figures are shocking," he said.

Meanwhile, Cabinet yesterday discussed road-safety measures for the New Year festival.

Source: The Nation - 25 October 2006

[John K]

It would not have any problem with bar staff, however it does become nearly impossible to enforce. In bars that serve lady drinks, they can be with or without alcohol. Although the intent is good, according to another thread the people under the drinking age will be getting into some other shit. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=89755

[Jai Dee]

The Ministry of Public Health concluded the Alcohol Control Act

The Ministry of Public Health has concluded the Alcohol Control Act. The Act prohibits the sales of alcoholic beverages to people who are under 20 years of age. The ministry is also ready to submit the proposal to increase liquor tax by two percent. The additional tax money will be used to develop sports in the country in a sustainable manner.

The Public Health Minister, Dr. Mongkhol Na Songkhla, attended the meeting with the committee to consider the first draft of the Alcohol Control Act. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Kosit Panpiemras. The committee agreed with the amendment to prohibit people under 20 years old to buy alcoholic beverages, instead of people under 25 years of age. The committee took the legal age of Thai people into account, prior to this amendment. Dr. Mongkhol will make a proposal on this issue to the Cabinet meeting within the next two to three weeks so the revised Alcohol Control Act can be enforced.

The Public Health Minister said he is concerned over the budget constraints for promoting sport activities. He has made a suggestion that the tax rate on all alcoholic beverages should be raised by two to four percent. The additional taxation will be about two billion baht per year.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 25 October 2006

[Old Man River]

Tax on alcohol to be raised by 2 per cent

Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said the tax-rise proposal stemmed from concern about the loss of Bt200 million worth of sponsorship a year from beverage companies that subsidised the sports sector - after the ban on alcohol ads, due to start in December.

Source: The Nation - 25 October 2006

I am happy that Dr. Mongkol has finally realized that the ban on alcohol beverage based ads has a real downside. However, it isn't just the youth based sports activities that will be negatively impacted, but also the estimated 30,000 jobs and numerous charity events helping the country's poor. I guess once the impact of these are felt, it will mean a further raise in taxes.

[atlastaname]

20.. thats a far better idea than 25, although I would be very interested to see how this affects bar staff... do you have to be over 20 to serve drinks ?

Its still totally stupid. It should be 18 ... full stop.

[Ijustwannateach]

I smell pressure from the U.S. and from religious conservatives.

[englishoak]

Hardly likely to be pressure from the US ........ just the usual hi-so concerned why their little somchai is out getting hammered with friends rather than working hard at Uni ..... with an allowance probably equal to a very well paid job...

[PhilHarries]

Hardly likely to be pressure from the US ........ just the usual hi-so concerned why their little somchai is out getting hammered with friends rather than working hard at Uni ..... with an allowance probably equal to a very well paid job...

No, the hi-so's don't give a flying duck what little somchai is up to at uni as long as he doesn't drag the family name thru the muck. He doesn't have anything to do at uni anyway, the master's degree is already purchased.