Hotels reiterate refusal to pay new tax

PHUKET: The committees of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), Southern Chapter, and the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) today announced that they will not collect hotel tax from tourists on behalf of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) until the organization is able to clarify a number of issues. The refusal to collect the tax came in response to the latest OrBorJor announcement on Thursday, informing all hotels in Phuket that collection of the tax, at a rate of 0.5% of room revenue, will begin on November 1, with the rate rising to 2% at the end of September next year. The announcement stated that the OrBorJor will this week provide hotels with information on what they must do to collect the tax, and where they should register. “The last meeting we had with the OrBorJor was at Patong Resort late last month, when we were told that they would get back to us on many questions they were not able to answer then. Instead, they have simply issued a final announcement,” said Sombat Atiset, president of the PTA. The THA and PTA are preparing comments to submit to the Phuket Provincial Governor tomorrow in order to enlist his help in resolving the standoff. “We will list our queries point by point – the ones that were discussed but were never clarified – including definitions of the OrBorJor’s legal duties and powers as interpreted by the Provincial Attorney’s Office,” said THA president Sithi Tandavanitj.