(9 December) Excise Department Director-General, Mr. Somchai Wongsawat, said on Monday that excise tax collected in Q1 of the 2014 fiscal year falls beneath its goal.
According to Mr. Somchai, the main resource for excise tax comes from alcoholic beverage, and the Department had initially expected to collect large number of such tax in this period as many Thai and foreign tourists are celebrating the festive season.
“November to December is our high tax collection season”, said Mr. Somchai “however, the current political situation have affected our performance.”
Mr. Somchai said the political crisis led to fewer number of domestic Thai tourists and foreign tourists alike, which in turn led to fewer travels, fewer celebrations, and fewer purchases of alcohol.
Reportedly, the tax exemption enacted by the government’s populist first-car scheme also lowered amount of vehicle tax collected.
Nevertheless, Mr. Somchai said he will discuss the issue with representatives of the private sector for a solution.
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