Will the price of beer, wine and spirits go up?

[webfact]

Will the price of beer, wine and spirits go up?

 

Image: Kapook

 

BANGKOK: -- Confusion reigns as the way that tax on alcoholic beverages is set to change.

 

The question is whether the changes will be passed onto the consumer.

 

New ceilings on levy collection on beer, wine and spirits were announced Sunday and are due to be implemented in the coming months.

 

Kapook.com reported that this could mean considerable rises in the price of beverages if these changes are passed onto the consumer by wholesale companies.

 

They suggested the price of beer of 3.5% alcohol could almost double and for stronger beverages it could be even worse. Wine and spirit prices could also go through the roof.

 

But Somchai Phoonsawat of the revenue department was quoted as saying that the change to the levy collection arrangements would not be passed onto the consumer.

 

Kapook.com said that stories about the changes were made on the Springnews website and in the Tharn Sethakit newspaper.

 

Source: Kapook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-02-27

[Laughing Gravy]

The price of beer here is over priced anyway for the sewage they produce and call it lager. If it doubled then that would be the end of the industry IMHO. I wouldn't be surprised if some price went on.

 

[fruitman]

Yes do it! But don't look strange if it kills the tourism.

 

Thai beer is filthy anyway and imported beer too expensive so i stopped drinking.

[dagling]

5 minutes ago, fruitman said:

Yes do it! But don't look strange if it kills the tourism.

 

Thai beer is filthy anyway and imported beer too expensive so i stopped drinking.

Cheep Charlie... 55555

[trogers]

Have a strong faith and pray doubly hard. You may be gifted with the ability to change water into wine...

[Brer Fox]

The "duck's guts" of this story is in the first two words.

"Confusion reigns".

Not an uncommon occurrence in Thailand but it seems here they are using their own confusion as an excuse to up the taxes. Quite bizarre really!

[daveAustin]

27 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

The price of beer here is over priced anyway for the sewage they produce and call it lager. If it doubled then that would be the end of the industry IMHO. I wouldn't be surprised if some price went on.

 

Severely overpriced, esp when wages are taken into consideration. The disparity between quality and value for money has to be one of the biggest in the world. Let's face it, the 'beer' here is now worse than ever since the doctoring of recipes over the last few years. Vast, eye-popping choice aside, I am consistently flummoxed when I return home and compare the price of supermarket beer with here. Just mind-boggling.

[outsider]

Everything is relative, isn't it... hahaha. Having lived extensively in Malaysia, I consider alcohol prices in Thailand to be cheap! Very cheap. A proper drinking session is always on the agenda of visiting Malasian friends. I think Malaysia is one of most expensive places in the world to have a drink - forgot that website that did the ranking and can't be arsed to look for it. As an example - a can of Heineken in Thailand 7-11 is what, around THB40? In Malaysia, it's around RM10. That's about THB100. A large bottle of Japanese beer (500, 600ml?) at a 'proper' Japanese restaurant (one that Japaneses go to, not one of those Fuji/Zen chains) in BKK is about THB130 - 150. In KUL, that's going to set you back like RM20+ - or more than THB200. Assuming you can find such a beer in the first place. I know beer's much cheaper in some western countries, even after conversion but since I have never lived extensively in those markets, I guess it's a case of not missing what I never had... LOL Cheers guys

 

[Geoffggi]

I think some are missing the point, we are not trying to obtain the most expensive beverages but trying to get good value for money which by international standards we currently are not, also not interested in what the prices are in other neighboring countries or Europe for that matter, value for money is the key and it is about time the Thai Breweries woke up to this fact, also yes I agree relatively speaking Thai beer is very expensive in comparison to the average cost of living.

[brucegoniners]

What a bunch of total BS! Don't they tax you enough here? So wine taxes are going to 800%? Almost enough to make you go sober.

[maoro2013]

If the consumer doesn't pay who does?

 

Doesn't sound any logic here.

[Destiny1990]

Will the drink  prices mandatory be UP at the wall at every bar in Thailand? Great plan!?

[Laughing Gravy]

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

The disparity between quality and value for money has to be one of the biggest in the world. Let's face it, the 'beer' here is now worse than ever since the doctoring of recipes over the last few years.

Exactly. Heineken here tastes nothing like Heineken In Holland or anywhere else I have tried it. Tiger is nothing like the Tiger in Singapore. I am still waiting (hopelessly) for the ASEAN trade agreement to start allowing other beers in, without penalty of taxation. I know it will be a long time, as the breweries know they would be out, as many beers in Asia taste much better and are as cheap if not cheaper.

[bangkok101]

price increases are always passed on to the consumer!

[AGareth2]

2 hours ago, trogers said:

Have a strong faith and pray doubly hard. You may be gifted with the ability to change water into wine...

or make a kit

[clickblade]

Beer's way to expensive in most bar now.

[retarius]

I love Thai beer, especially Leo and Chang….I'm not sure how my mates would feel drinking the stuff AT 140 A BOTTLE? Some are already struggling after the fall in the value of the pound which has driven pensions down to poverty levels. Cheap housing, booze and cigs are the main ingredients of many folks' lives in Thailand there there will come a point where it becomes better going back to the UK.

[Mr Big]

Needless to say, the price goes up for beer and wine under the pretext of protecting the hard drinking Thai people. Nobody ever talks about the real dangerous stuff, the Lao Khao is as cheap as ever and the most dangerous for the part of the population that need the protection. Wine drinkers are seldom alcoholics.

The price of wine is  high, but affordable, if it goes up, the market will shrink.

[Trujillo]

 

Sorry, there is no English version of this, yet. 

[elgordo38]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

But Somchai Phoonsawat of the revenue department was quoted as saying that the change to the levy collection arrangements would not be passed onto the consumer.

Would you believe a guy named Somchai?? Off to the frig and grab a cheap beer. 

[topt]

12 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

 

Sorry, there is no English version of this, yet. 

Is that meant to be the duty/tax on a litre of wine on the left going from 519 to 1482 or on a 75cl bottle?

[Ceruhe]

PLEASE for the love of all that is holy, follow the footsteps of Philadelphia's Sugary Beverage Tax. It would be greatly enriching my entertainment.

[Brer Fox]

2 hours ago, outsider said:

Everything is relative, isn't it... hahaha. Having lived extensively in Malaysia, I consider alcohol prices in Thailand to be cheap! Very cheap. A proper drinking session is always on the agenda of visiting Malasian friends. I think Malaysia is one of most expensive places in the world to have a drink - forgot that website that did the ranking and can't be arsed to look for it. As an example - a can of Heineken in Thailand 7-11 is what, around THB40? In Malaysia, it's around RM10. That's about THB100. A large bottle of Japanese beer (500, 600ml?) at a 'proper' Japanese restaurant (one that Japaneses go to, not one of those Fuji/Zen chains) in BKK is about THB130 - 150. In KUL, that's going to set you back like RM20+ - or more than THB200. Assuming you can find such a beer in the first place. I know beer's much cheaper in some western countries, even after conversion but since I have never lived extensively in those markets, I guess it's a case of not missing what I never had... LOL Cheers guys

 

Yes everything is relative. When I spend my time in Vietnam I get 2 crates of 455ml beer delivered to the door of my home on the back of a motorbike. Two crates x 24 bottles each = 48 = 300,000 VND TOTAL = US$13.2 = 460 THB = 9.6 THB/bottle. Or a bottle of 330ml Halida in a local sidewalk cafe 25 THB.

Or a 700ml bottle of Jamieson Irish whisky at a nearby BigC at the equivalent of 580THB. No tax or duty on beer and spirits in Vietnam; only wine to try to protect their own wine industry. The government tries to keep the punters happy and expats and tourists get the spin off. 

[Bluespunk]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The question is whether the changes will be passed onto the consumer.

No, the question is, how much above and beyond the tax increase will be passed onto the consumers?

 

[Pattaya46]

3 hours ago, fruitman said:

Yes do it! But don't look strange if it kills the tourism.

I like how - according to TV members - every proposition of the Thai government always is a risk for the tourism...

 

Seriously, ithis could have an impact mainly on the sex-tourists that frequent the beer bars in the red-zones, and so it could be a good thing (IMHO) but even if Thailand would decide to globally forbid beer, there would be still millions of real-tourists willing to visit the country.

[outsider]

6 minutes ago, Brer Fox said:

Yes everything is relative. When I spend my time in Vietnam I get 2 crates of 455ml beer delivered to the door of my home on the back of a motorbike. Two crates x 24 bottles each = 48 = 300,000 VND TOTAL = US$13.2 = 460 THB = 9.6 THB/bottle. Or a bottle of 330ml Halida in a local sidewalk cafe 25 THB.

Or a 700ml bottle of Jamieson Irish whisky at a nearby BigC at the equivalent of 580THB. No tax or duty on beer and spirits in Vietnam; only wine to try to protect their own wine industry. The government tries to keep the punters happy and expats and tourists get the spin off. 

Wow, that is damned cheap!

[Spellforce]

That news in thai:

http://me.upyim.co/14138/

 

I understand that this new tax will be applied only to the wholesalers (maybe for 1000 bottles or liters?),

and there wont be any change on the retail price.

[ratcatcher]

55 minutes ago, clickblade said:

Beer's way to expensive in most bar now.

People buying beer in bars are paying higher prices for the privilege of looking  at the ladies' bare bums.

[Brer Fox]

1 minute ago, Bluespunk said:

No, the question is, how much will be passed onto the consumers?

 

As the headline says "Confusion reigns". Presumably once they have finalized the distribution arrangements for the increased tax and sorted out who gets what after the new mark-ups apply then the fog will lift and consumers will be told the extent of the shafting.

[redwinecheese]

3 hours ago, fruitman said:

Thai beer is filthy anyway and imported beer too expensive so i stopped drinking.

Totally agree Thai beer is filthy no wonder I find it real hard to start drinking local beer without  couple of vomits.  But thanks my friend fruitman I'm switching to imported beer NOW... any suggestions please