City announces new tax collection initiative

Pattaya’s deputy mayor, Wirawat Khakhai led a team of officials from the city treasury department out into the streets in an effort to collect business and miscellaneous taxes owed by delinquent taxpayers. The team first targeted businesses located on Central Pattaya Road, but other areas will follow.

The business owners were reminded to submit their intentions regarding their annual taxes due for the year 2000, including taxes on advertising signs.

Pattaya’s city administration has implemented a new tax payment installment program for people facing financial problems. The plan was devised to ease the added burden of tax payments due in the coming year. The plan allows for taxes due on January 1 to be extended until April, with an additional allowance for tax payment installments on business building tax and land tax.

Under the plan, taxpayers having taxes due on businesses and land are being afforded the opportunity to pay on three separate monthly installments following final assessments to reduce the immediate financial burden. However, the time period has passed for notifying city hall, and the city treasury department has initiated the current action to encourage compliance rather than take court action. Soliciting businesses directly is viewed as a convenience offered to taxpayers and an alternative to costly court action.

So far the city has collected over 200 million baht in various taxes due for this year. This figure includes 77 million baht in business taxes, 10 million baht in advertising sign taxes, with the remainder being taxes on land and other miscellaneous taxes.