17B Baht Tax Bill Taped to Thaksin’s Door

Tax officials tape a notice Tuesday to the former Bangkok home of fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

BANGKOK — The Revenue Department posted a bill for overdue taxes Tuesday at a home owned by fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, two weeks after the military government said it worked out a legal miracle to demand 17 billion baht in back taxes.

The notice taped onto 472 Charansanitwong Road, Thaksin’s former residence, said he needs to pay 17 billion baht in overdue 2006 income taxes, including fines, resulting from a stock trade that same year.

Critics say this is impossible, as stockholders in Thailand are exempted from paying taxes on their trades and capital gains. Moreover, they said the order far exceeds the statutory five-year period the authorities had to notify Thaksin.

As the 10-year period to collect 2006 taxes expires at the end of March, the military government announced two weeks ago it found a means to demand the tax be paid “through the miracle of the law.”

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By creative legal logic, it said that as Thaksin’s children had acted as his proxies in the stock trade for which the taxes were owed, then serving them a notice in 2007 was just like serving him.

Thaksin has the right to appeal within 30 days or collections proceedings will begin.

Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a lawyer from Thaksin’s Pheu Thai Party, said the 67-year-old wants to negotiate with the department, warning that he may take legal action if it moves forward with collection efforts under that legal rationale.

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