The Finance Ministry has ordered the Customs Department to step up its search for ways to reduce the impact of the exemption on import tax and value-added tax (VAT) for imported goods worth up to 1,500 baht, saying such measures are hurting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
According to Patchara Anuntasilpa, director-general of the Customs Department, the department may consider measures similar to a non-tariff barrier to help protect domestic SMEs from low-priced imports that enjoy import tax and VAT waivers.
Under customs regulations, the import of parcel posts from foreign countries worth no more than 1,500 baht per piece is allowed to be exempt from import tax and VAT.
In international practice, such express parcel post is tax-exempt.
Mr Patchara said any efforts to collect tax from imported goods with relatively low prices have to utilise other tax…
