Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
The owners of around 10.6 million vehicles, about 30 percent of the entire number registered for private use in Thailand, failed to pay their annual tax last year, according to the Department of Land Transport.
Read the following story from the Bangkok Post to learn more about this tax evasion.
Most offenders appear to be people who stopped using their vehicles temporarily or permanently and who did not notify the authorities, department director-general Asdsathai Rattanadilok Na Phuket said on September 26.
“If that is the case, it would have meant that they would not be required to pay the full tax amount or possibly none at all,” Asdsathai said.
FINE FOR FAILURE
As well as accumulated annual taxes, vehicle owners who fail to pay the levy are also required to pay a fine.
“People who fail to pay vehicle tax for three consecutive years face the prospect of having their licence plate number automatically cancelled,” Asdsathai said.
NOTIFY AUTHORITIES
Asdsathai advised vehicle owners who are not using their vehicle for a prolonged period of time during a given year to contact the nearest Land Transport office to submit a written notification that the vehicle is not being used.
“This way, the vehicle owner will not be asked to pay tax covering the time the vehicle is not in use,“ Asdsathai said. “When owners begin using their vehicles again, they should notify Land Transport authorities to ensure that the tax is adjusted correctly.”
He went on to say that people who stop using their vehicles permanently are also required to submit a similar notification with Land Transport authorities to avoid being levied with the annual tax and fined.
Exercises
Read the story. Then, decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1. Half the vehicle owners in Thailand failed to pay their annual tax last year.
……………….
2. Asdsathai said people should notify the Department of Land Transport if they are no longer using their vehicles.
……………….
3. Asdsathai is the director-general of the Department of Land.
……………….
4. Vehicle owners who don’t pay vehicle tax could be fined.
……………….
Vocabulary
- tax evasion (n): the crime of deliberately not paying all the taxes that you should pay
offender (n): a person who commits a crime
levy (n): an extra amount of money that has to be paid, especially as a tax to the government
prolonged (adj): continuing for a long time
