The Cabinet has approved an extension of the income tax rebate program for companies that hire former inmates for another 4 years.
The program, which was launched in 2020, aims to encourage companies to offer job opportunities to ex-convicts who often face difficulties finding employment.
Without employment, many former inmates end up returning to a life of crime and being incarcerated again. Under the program, companies and legal entities that employ former inmates who have been released from prison within the past three years are eligible to claim income tax rebates on their salaries. However, the monthly rebate is capped at 15,000 baht per former inmate.
Deputy Government Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek noted that with this retroactive extension, the program will continue until the accounting period ending in December 2025. The program previously ended in December 2021.
Ratchada acknowledged that such tax measures will cost the government 705 million baht in lost corporate income tax revenue, or an average of 176.25 million baht per year.
However, she said it will be highly beneficial in providing job opportunities for 39,000 former convicts to earn a living with dignity and without resorting to criminal activities. (NNT)
