Impetuous boat owners pay the price

PHUKET CITY: Overeager boat owners who have been too quick to import their yachts or take ownership from Thai boatbuilders may now be regretting their hastiness. The Phuket Area Excise Office (PAEO) announced on Friday that boats that were registered after the Customs duty was reduced to zero but before February 23, would still be required to pay excise tax at the rate of 5%. The tax must be paid by March 31. Failure to do so by that deadline could result in the seizure of the boat and the arrest of its owner. The announcement, distributed by the Phuket Provincial Public Relations Office, said that Supatra Horsrisumpun, Chief of the PAEO, had notified some of these yacht owners that they were still required to pay the excise tax. It had not been possible to contact all the owners, the announcement said, but it was still the owners’ responsibility to pay the tax by the March 31 deadline. A PAEO source who asked not to be named told the Gazette, “We have more than 10 buyers on our list who took ownership of boats before the February 23 announcement and another 20 importers who were already registered with the Phuket Marine Office at that time. Those individuals or companies will be listed by us as being required to pay the tax,” he said. Customs duty of imported yachts was dropped to zero on February 18, five days before excise tax, which applies to all boats, was cut to zero. To contact the PAEO for more information, call Tel: 076-212281 ext. 1017, 076-217319 or 076-354830 during office hours (8:30 am – 4:30 pm ), Monday to Friday.