Phuket first-time car buyers overload Excise Office

PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Excise Office (PPEO) is calling in extra officers from other departments to help cope with an overload of tax-rebate applications being filed by first-time car owners.

The office has processed 9,000 applications for tax rebates since the government campaign to encourage young people to buy cars was launched on September 16 last year, said policy specialist Wipada Daroonpong.

However, the number of applications flooding in is increasing with each passing day as the December 31 deadline for filing applications approaches, she explained

“Earlier during the campaign we received only about 100 applications a day, but last month the number started increasing dramatically, averaging between 300 and 400 per day, but some days we have had up to 600.

“However, we can only process up to 400 applications a day,” she added.

PPEO chief Pairach Kulima said that his office expects the flood of applications to surge until the December 31 deadline.

Mr Pairach also urged applicants to carefully check the documents needed in addition to their applications in order to make processing them as quick and as simple as possible.

“You can check and download forms from our website [click here],” he added.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong