The Revenue Department has denied allegations making the rounds on social media that it intends to reinstate a departure fee for Thais and foreign residents leaving the country.
The tax, which was first introduced in 1983, was eliminated in 1991. However, the constitution mandates that the department determine whether previous executive orders, such as the departure tax, are still appropriate.
The government has no plans to reinstate the tax, according to Winit Wisetsuwannaphum, the division’s deputy director-general. He pointed out that the department, in accordance with constitutional responsibilities, held a survey on the tax from May 3–17 on its website, www.rd.go.th.
When some members of the public saw the survey, they became very worried because they believed the tax was returning.
By the end of the next year, the government would also perform comparable surveys on inheritance taxes and petroleum income taxes, according to Winit. The surveys’ goal is to gauge public sentiment toward executive orders that previous administrations have revoked.
