Should alcohol be more expensive in Thailand?

[louse1953]

Since the OP picture shows a farang passed out from alcohol use, I guess the good doctor just wants a higher tax on alcohol consumed by farangs. Finally, someone who truly cares about farangs in Thailand...so refreshing.

To be fair i don't think the doctor had anything to do with the clik bait photo.

[Dorian232]

There should not be any increase in the price of alcohol, I drink very little so no effect on me, but I do not agree with taxing things working people like, what should be better enforced is the sale of drinks to persons who clearly have already had sufficient and it should not be allowed to drink alcohol in the street, public places other than the beach or parks. There needs to be strict penaltities for persons who are drunk and disorderly. Penalize the bad people not all for the faults of the few.

[nervona81732]

Ok, here it goes like it or not. I am ready for the negative responses. First and foremost ALCOHOL is a world wide problem. As for Thailand , it is a big problem with traffic deaths ( through the roof ) in Thailand ( over 50% ) traffic, alcohol deaths????

People are dying at record rates ( mainly because of whiskeys like LAO KAO ( brewed for maximum profit ) any stooge knows that when you distill , there are three parts, The head , the heart and the foot. The head is POISON!!!​, the heart is the primo and the foot is less strength.

When making spirits you separate the head ( throw away, put in your gas tank or clean your windows ) I REPEAT the first out of the distillation process is POISON.

Well this one distiller ( I won't mention any names ) knows full well what is going on. It is called the bottom LINE. Enough said. They are knowingly killing people for profit. is new. This goes on around the world with many products.

BUT THE REAL BOTTOM LINE IS IT IS LEGAL. LOL. Why do you think that is??? Think of your home countries and MONSANTO, OIL COMPANIES , BIG PHARMA and the list goes on and on and on.

I hear so many FARANGS on this website that don't have a clue.

The most substantial thing they could do with this country is to follow the path of so many countries where they are revamping their draconian (WAR ON DRUGS ) ( May I remind you of NIXON /UNITED NATIONS ) and do what these countries are doing. Treat it as a health issue. Leave GANGA out of the mix. So far in many states in the US , alcohol related traffic deaths and injuries hav.e plummetted and some countries have totally deciminalized all drugs and put it into a health issue and those stats have been reduced drastically.

Why do you think governments push towards criminality? Governments don't like competition. The multinational corporations don't want people to know CANNABIS Kills CANCER. A multi trillion dollar industry around the world.

Another thing, when you legalize something , people loose interest , in other words " WHEN YOU TELL SOMEONE THEY CAN'T DO SOMETHING " THEY ARE GOING TO DO IT " to what you might say? Wake up. It is called freedom.

Edited March 3, 2016 by metisdead
Colored and bold font reset to normal.

[jamie2009]

If you drink the local Thai alcohol it is cheap, drink any of the imported stuff and it's the same price or more than the country it originates from. The people with alcohol problems will not stop drinking if the prices are increased.

[little mary sunshine]

If an additional B50-70 per can/bottle of beer

Was added, it could help fund treatment for alcohol

Related diseases! And Rehabilitation facilities.

Tax should be voted on and approved immediately.

[LawrenceChee]

Do it !

[Don Mega]

Maybe only tax the falangs! That should work!

That is actually a good idea.

The missus already goes and buys my supplies anyways.

[Dap]

H3LL No!

[Time Traveller]

The correct answer to any question is never "Lets pay higher taxes."

[robblok]

If an additional B50-70 per can/bottle of beer

Was added, it could help fund treatment for alcohol

Related diseases! And Rehabilitation facilities.

Tax should be voted on and approved immediately.

I agree... but I think 50-70 bt is a bit low 80-100 sounds more like it don't you agree. Plus I am sure loads of foreigners would leave the country for good

Im surprised the topic only has 5 pages so far.

[elgordo38]

Oh brilliant idea! Drive even more of the too poor even for the locally brewed shit 'beer/whiskeys' to Lao khao why don't you. Cretins.

Another disguised tax hike. It mostly attacks the poor who have very few pleasures left in life here. They could just add another "drink" tax to tourists when they arrive here. If the junta wants the streets quiet I think its best that they pass on this one but then again there are subs and other boy toys to be paid for.

Edited March 3, 2016 by elgordo38

[kiwikeith]

Oh brilliant idea! Drive even more of the too poor even for the locally brewed shit 'beer/whiskeys' to Lao khao why don't you. Cretins.

Exactly,home brew and alcohol deaths will multiply.

They did this in NZ, made no difference, just made people poorer and increased crime rates.

[minikev]

I will have to get a second job at this rate. They done my fags last week from 85 baht to 120 baht. Now it seems my beer Changs gonna go daft too. It's worrying cos if I have to work more I won't have time for my 40 a day Marlboro's and my 10 cans o' chang.

[JemJem]

Looks like a pic from the full moon party. Where they sell "magic mushroom milkshakes", drugs are freely available, and cheap (potentially illegal) booze is sold in buckets to young backpackers. Perhaps regulating this would be an improvement? LOL

edit: I use to wear contact lenses. I got off a long flight one night and wanted a drink while in Boston. Went to the local pub and was refused a drink because of my red eyes. Bartender said I'd had too much. Maybe something like this would help also. Refusing to sell more booze to somebody already over the top.

I agree. I lived in Australia for a while. Over there, there were some instances I was refused a drink at a bar because I had drunk too much (or at least, the bartender had thought that). I cannot imagine that ever happening in Thailand; lol.

As for the original question of the thread, my answer is NO. Alcoholic drinks (except lao khao of course) are already quite expensive/overpriced in Thailand.

Edited March 3, 2016 by JemJem

[Johpa]

Whilst your post makes some good points I would argue that not all alcohol is the same. Compare Lao Khao/Whte Lightning with a Single Malt/Chardonnay and watch the differing effects upon the imbiber. It's the quality of the alcohol, not simply the amount.

Ah yes, there is such a great difference between someone drunk on a single malt pissing in their pants and a someone drunk on lao khao pissing in their pants. And you would never see a raging drunk in Scotland or in La France as they simply drink more refined alcohol. In other words, I take the other side of your argument.

And what is so bad about lao khao? It is mass produced and taxed, unlike the village brewed lao tom or lao paa. Lao khao is not my favorite but I have plenty of friends in the village who only drink lao khao and won't drink my own preferred alcoholic beverage which a lao deng like Sang Som. But then I can remember the days when Mae Khong Thai whiskey (newbies see my avatar because it is very hard to find these days) was considered a Thai high society drink on par with a single malt today.

The bottles seen near the past out fellow on the beach I do not think are lao khao bottles but the other favorite drink of the poor known by various names regionally like Seng Sun or Cheung something. It is a dark malty medicinal tasting drink that I stay away from although I will drink lao khao with Thai friends.

[Broeno]

Povertjes and misery always was a reason to booz. Just some less greedyness of the happy few in Thailand, would give less people in Thailand a good reason to abuse alcohol. Why do you think so many Russians drink that much or east Europeen ? Why was alcohol a big problem in the 1930s. So Thai gourvernement: if you want less people to abuse alcohol: take better care of them.

If my life would be mostly misery, i also sometimes will forget about it. So........

[Broeno]

First word of my post must be poverty. <deleted> spelling controle took over.

[Skeptic7]

Alcohol is already way overpriced in Thailand. How about personal responsibility, instead of another mini-USA nanny state?!?

[Jonmarleesco]

'... the Centre for Alcohol Studies ... want to mimic the recent hike in excise tax on cigarettes – that so-called ‘sin tax’ is expected to raise an additional ฿1 billion (US$28,000) a month for the treasury ...' Someone's FX calculations are adrift. Or is that net of monies pocketed? '... and reduce the nation’s smokers by 3 percent.' Given time, they can manage that on their own. The downside is the number of non-smokers they might take with them, courtesy of second-hand fumes.

'Dr Sawitree Assanangkornchai ... correlates alcohol intake with a descent into illegal drugs for young people.' How did she manage to make that link?

[connda]

Should alcohol be more expensive in Thailand?

Emphatically: No!

[Weblo]

Booze in thailand is already ridiculously priced.

I can get a bottle of beer in lao or cambo for 35-50 baht.

in cambo I can get a coctail of quality liquor for 50-100 baht, depending on venue.

in thailand the booze is shit, its no name backwash thats been watered down. And crazy priced.

if a place serves quality liquor, its double what I pay in canada.

I just returned from tawandang brewery from my gals birthday. She had her birthday coctail, 280 baht.

yes ou heard that right, 280 baht.

I dont pay that in a vegas disco.

my beer there was 140 for a big mug, I can live with that

but I cant bring myself to pay the liquor prices in thailand.

absolutely rediculous.

ill stick to my beers.

[NCFC]

Alcohol should be free and snow on Christmas Day please

[Johpa]

Booze in thailand is already ridiculously priced.

Then you are drinking the wrong booze. The various lao dengs cost just under 300 baat per large bottle and just under 200 baat per small bottle (ben bottle). Shots of lao khao at your local shop are maybe 10 baat per shot for lao khao and maybe 30 baat for lao deng. I can buy a shot of Hong Thong, the local lao deng, for 35 baat at my local farang bar in the nearest town. So if I include the 20 baat for the bottle of soda I can have three shots of decent Thai booze mixed with soda water for a total of 125 baat. And its cheaper in the village shop, but there is no pool table in the village shop. So if anything booze in Thailand is ridiculously cheap if you stick to the local stuff. And for me, a Sang Som soda is a great drink!

[Lenscraft]

Not too bad, if only Thailand could make decent beer, like its neighbour Laos

Lao beer is a hundred times better than anything produced here in Thailand

Why do you think that is?

[Rhys]

....inhale...Leroy.....exhale....dude..what about this..............inhale......hold... exhale...

[baboon]

If an additional B50-70 per can/bottle of beer

Was added, it could help fund treatment for alcohol

Related diseases! And Rehabilitation facilities.

Tax should be voted on and approved immediately.

I agree... but I think 50-70 bt is a bit low 80-100 sounds more like it don't you agree. Plus I am sure loads of foreigners would leave the country for good

Im surprised the topic only has 5 pages so far.

Just as long as you are happy and get what you want, eh rob? Screw anybody else as usual.

[jucel]

If an additional B50-70 per can/bottle of beer

Was added, it could help fund treatment for alcohol

Related diseases! And Rehabilitation facilities.

Tax should be voted on and approved immediately.

Are you living in La La land or what??

I hope this post is meant to be sarcastic or you really are dancing with the fairies!

[jucel]

Booze in thailand is already ridiculously priced.

Then you are drinking the wrong booze. The various lao dengs cost just under 300 baat per large bottle and just under 200 baat per small bottle (ben bottle). Shots of lao khao at your local shop are maybe 10 baat per shot for lao khao and maybe 30 baat for lao deng. I can buy a shot of Hong Thong, the local lao deng, for 35 baat at my local farang bar in the nearest town. So if I include the 20 baat for the bottle of soda I can have three shots of decent Thai booze mixed with soda water for a total of 125 baat. And its cheaper in the village shop, but there is no pool table in the village shop. So if anything booze in Thailand is ridiculously cheap if you stick to the local stuff. And for me, a Sang Som soda is a great drink!

I think you have been drinking too much of the local turpentine!

For one, they taste like sh!t & the other they are far worse for your liver.

I have seen so many people die QUICKLY (in a few years) from Lao Khao & so many people go literally crazy on Sangsom, compared to anything else.

[jucel]

Althought the wine in the boxes is knobwash, it is now effectively cheaper than drinking the overpriced pigswill labelled as beer.

I buy one box of drinkable Aussie red for 800 baht, that's 4 litres, approx 5 bottles. 800 baht is 16 quid therefore about 3 quid a bottle.

I used to like Chang when it was 6.4 % and had a bit of taste,now it's like maid's water.

I only drink Beer Lao now, dark or light but that's 60 baht for a small one so it's not cheap, even though it is in Laos!!

[little mary sunshine]

Jucel.....serious as a heart attack!!