Tax evasion fines ‘could reach B2.5bn’

The Excise Department expects to collect nearly 2.5 billion baht in fines in cases involving smuggling of untaxed goods in the 2024 fiscal year that ended on Sept 30.
The number of cases — involving goods such as cigarettes, liquor and motor vehicles — totalled 33,000, an increase of 28% from the previous fiscal year, according to Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul
Among the seizures were more than 2.6 million cartons of illegally imported cigarettes and 300,000 cartons of untaxed domestic cigarettes, he said.
In addition to cigarettes, other products seized for tax evasion included 147,300 bottles of liquor, 244,723 bottles of perfume, 108,259 litres of beverages, 2.6 million litres of oil, 1,493 motorcycles and 89,059 batteries.
“It is expected that when all the cases are concluded, the total fines will be 2.46 billion baht,” said Mr Paopoom.
He said that the department is now working more proactively on suppression and investigations across all platforms. Its Online Product Suppression Center is making better use of technology to look into illegal activities on online channels, he said.
The department also collaborates with external agencies, such as the Department of Provincial Administration, the Department of Business Development, the Department of Land Transport, the Central Investigation Bureau, Thailand Post, Flash Express, marine police and the military to enforce the Excise Tax Act and arrest suspects, he said.