Tax collection misses goal in October

The government’s tax revenue collection in the first month of fiscal 2021 fell short of its target by 15.4 billion baht or 8.5%, attributed to the impact of the pandemic.

Kulaya Tantitemit, acting director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO), reported yesterday the government garnered net revenue of 167 billion baht in October, 15.4 billion below the target. The figures were 73.7 billion baht or 30.6% below those collected in October last year.

“A shrinking economy triggered by the spread of Covid-19 has resulted in lower income for business operators and workers, leading to government revenue collection falling accordingly,” said Ms Kulaya, also a Finance Ministry spokeswoman.

She said the lower collection also stemmed from smaller revenue remittances by energy-related state enterprises whose operating results in 2020 fell, as well as a relatively high base…