Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to Pursue New Tax Schemes
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is looking into new ways to increase revenue collection. At a meeting with the BMA Finance Department, Governor Chadchart Sittipunt set out three objectives:
- Completely collect all statutory tax.
- Consider amending the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Act B.E. 2528 (1985) to grant authority for BMA to collect additional tax, such as the tourist tax and pollution tax, in order to increase revenue without causing undue hardship to the people.
- Approximately five million people have their registered addresses in Bangkok. At the same time, there are many residents in Bangkok with registered addresses in other provinces. As a result, the BMA is considering the way of changing their registration to Bangkok in order to reflect the actual population and allocate an appropriate budget based on such actual population of Bangkok.
As we all know, the BMA receives revenue from a variety of sources, including land and building tax, signboard tax, property income (i.e. the rental fee collected from the rent of a BMA’s building), VAT, vehicle tax, fees and others. Despite the fact that the BMA has been able to collect such revenue in accordance with its target, the BMA, led by the Governor of Bangkok, is considering an increase in revenue collection, as mentioned in item 2, so that such revenue amount shall be used to provide comprehensive and efficient benefits to the actual numbers of people in Bangkok, as mentioned in item 3, given the possibility of increasing expenses in the future.
The new tax collection scheme will include a robust online tax filing system called BMA TAX MAP and an array of payment options. This will allow taxpayers to conveniently file and pay their taxes online and reduce the need for physical visits to the BMA offices. The BMA will also provide 24/7 customer service for taxpayers who require assistance. The BMA believes that this new tax collection scheme will significantly improve efficiency and reduce operational costs, while providing taxpayers with a more convenient and secure way of filing and paying their taxes. It is also expected that this new system will help in increasing compliance with tax obligations, as well as promoting transparency and greater accountability of the system.
Author: Panisa Suwanmatajarn, Managing Partner.