THE Customs Department today (Nov. 5) announced that from Jan. 1, 2026 onwards an import duty will be charged on all foreign goods sold at various online platforms costing 1 baht upwards along with the Value Added Tax (VAT) as required by law with this replacing tariff exemption on such goods costing less than 1,500 baht which is set to expire at yearend, Amarin TV said.
Mr. Panthong Loikulnan, the Customs Department director-general, said the current value of goods priced below 1,500 baht and imported from various platforms exceeds 30 billion baht a year. If an average 10% duty was collected from online platforms, the government would generate at least 3 billion baht annually.
The system will primarily use online platform data verification, with additional random inspections in some cases.
“I have set a deadline for Jan. 1, 2026. Items valued at less than 1 baht will not be taxed, but anything above that will be taxed. Not collecting any duties at all would give foreign goods an advantage over Thai businesses,” he said. “This is unfair to SMEs.”
Many countries around the world, such as the United States and several others, have already abolished the de minimis, or minimum value exemption, to prevent tax evasion and protect domestic producers. This import duty adjustment does not violate any Free Trade Area (FTA) agreements or other trade pacts.
Thailand remains within its established framework, and many countries around the world are beginning to review their tax structures in a similar manner. The United States and its major trading partners in Asia have gradually increased or decreased import duties on certain products to protect domestic industries and promote economic balance.
Panthong added that the new approach will ensure fairness to Thai businesses that pay taxes correctly, particularly SMEs which are affected by the flood of cheap imported goods.
The Customs Department is expediting negotiations with major platforms like Shopee and Lazada from Friday Nov. 7 onwards to directly link sales and import data.
“I believe that if we delay this process, we will be at a disadvantage because all countries are beginning to see the same problem: domestic sellers pay taxes, but foreign goods are imported without paying anything,” Panthong said.
He also proposed a long-term solution: amending the law to allow for a “lump-sum tax,” such as setting a flat rate of 20-30% for all imported boxes. This will simplify and increase efficiency, but he acknowledged that legal amendments would take time before it could be implemented.
CAPTION:
Top – Online shopping photo by Adrian on Pixabay
Front Page – A graphic image on goods flowing to Thailand from other countries. Credit – Amarin TV
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