140 foreign e-service providers pay up to THB600 million VAT per month

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2022

Around 140 foreign e-service platforms and service providers registered to pay value-added tax (VAT) totalling 500 million-600 million baht per month, the Revenue Department said on Thursday.

Deputy director Vinit Visessuvanapoom said the number has increased from around 90, so it is a welcome trend that operators have properly registered.

The VAT for Electronic Service has been enforced on foreign platforms and service providers from September 1, 2021.

These operators include foreign online advertising, e-commerce, subscription, peer-to-peer platforms, and online travel agency operators.

Vinit explained that e-service tax is not new but it is actually VAT collected from foreign platforms and operators with services in the country because digital technology allows users to use the services easily and quickly without borders.

In the past, the law required users to pay tax when using services by foreign service providers, but the general public, who were not considered operators, usually did not pay.

This caused unfairness in the collection of e-service VAT between domestic and foreign service providers as only Thai operators shouldered additional costs.

The e-service law was introduced to solve this problem, requiring foreign e-service operators to register and pay the tax.

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