Revenue Department dispells rumour of VAT for private vaccines

Thai government officials are moving quickly to quash a rumour being spread throughout social media that they are charging hospitals VAT for vaccines. A rumour being widely discussed around the internet accuses the government of Thailand of essentially profiteering off the importation of life-saving vaccines.

A report claiming that the government is charging value-added tax on all the Covid-19 vaccines that private hospitals are negotiating to purchase for private sale has gained attention on social media sites and is being shared widely.

It claims that vaccines procured through the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, the department acting as a middle man between private hospitals negotiating bulk orders and the vaccine manufacturers that sell exclusively to governments are being charged the VAT. The extra cost burden would then be passed on as factored in expenses to the public purchasing the vaccine.

The Revenue Department dismisses these charges as completely without merit and says that the report posted online has caused a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding.

The department points out that all private hospitals have been exempted and do not need to pay any VAT charges. It is not possible for the government to charge them VAT for vaccines. Since charging the hospitals a tax can’t happen, hospitals are not adding on the cost of the tax and passing it on to their clients.

The clarification might not gain as much viral traction as the original report, but the Revenue Department hopes it can successfully dispel the rumour.

For information about Covid-19 insurance for Thailand residents, CLICK HERE.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World