And when entering, if there is no trapping from the origin These products are then distributed to various cities to be sold both in illegal storefronts and online stores. Through transport by car or through the mail quickly and widely.”
Mr. Suthep added that “The Excise and Tobacco Departments of Thailand are both under the Ministry of Finance, with Prime Minister Settha Thavisin as minister, while two important agencies are in trouble. Income has been lost and profits have been shrinking for many years. Until I don’t know how many times I can use the word crisis. Because every time any numbers are announced, there are only words about getting worse. But why hasn’t the Prime Minister acknowledged the problem of illegal cigarettes yet?
As a representative of more than 2,000 employees of the Tobacco Authority of Thailand, including everyone in the tobacco industry From the agricultural sector, 30,000 households to over 500,000 wholesale and retail stores throughout Thailand would like to appeal to the Prime Minister to urgently issue an order to solve the problem of illegal cigarettes. Because without orders from you, it would be difficult for each department to work in perfect integration. and raise the issue to negotiate with the country of origin to protect the income and livelihood of Thai farmers and those involved.”
The Excise Department revealed statistics on excise tax collection from October 2023 – February 2024. It was found that taxes on automobiles, beer, liquor, and tobacco decreased compared to the actual collection amount in fiscal year 2023, which these products are the department’s main income. In particular, tobacco taxes have continued to decrease for many years after a major overhaul of the cigarette tax structure in 2021.
Tags: Illegal cigarettes flood Thailand causing tobacco excise taxes plummet
