Songkran feast: Food and hotel receipts eligible for tax deductions

The Tourism and Sports minister has unveiled a tax deduction scheme to try to get more people to eat out at restaurants during Songkran.

Kobkarn Wattanawarangkoon said yesterday that people who dine at restaurants and keep their receipts between April 9-17 can claim a tax deduction of up to THB15,000.

But don’t get too excited because the tax deduction doesn’t apply to booze.

The move will also encourage more restaurants to legally register in the VAT system, she said.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong said the cabinet has also approved to bring back last year’s incentive benefits that allow up to THB15,000 in tax deductions from hotel receipts when taxpayers travel inside the country until the end of the year.

This means taxpayers can claim a deduction of up to THB30,000 along with the Songkran feast scheme, Prachachart reported.

In December last year, the junta also rolled out a scheme which allowed another tax deduction of up to THB15,000 on purchases made during the New Year’s holiday, but this scheme has not been considered this year.

Kobkarn estimates that there will be about 2.6 million tourists during the Songkran festival — 2.1 million Thais with the rest made up of foreigners. Tourism during the festival is expected to generate THB15 billion.



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