Tax chief urges foreigners to get it right

PHUKET TOWN: Annop Buakrean, chief of the Phuket Provincial Revenue Office, has appealed to business owners, particularly foreigners, to try to get their tax returns right. He told the Gazette this afternoon that his officers had checked a large number of dive shops recently and found that “in every single case” their tax returns for last year were incorrectly filed. “I understand what’s been happening,” he said. “They have invested a lot of money in their businesses in Phuket. They want to pay their taxes correctly, but they don’t know the law in Thailand. They don’t know how to pay. Often, they seek advice from Thai people but the Thais sometimes don’t understand the laws either.” Many companies made mistakes, he said, and had to pay back-taxes. The amount might be as little as 100,000 baht, but when added to fees and penalties, it could sometimes reach as much as two or three million baht. Khun Annop said he felt sympathy for businesses faced with such situations. He invited anyone baffled by the tax laws to visit him or his staff at the Revenue Office in Phuket Town, on Naritsorn Rd near the junction with Palian Rd, to discuss their problems. Visitors should make an appointment by calling 217231, Monday to Friday, betweem 8:30 am and 4:30 pm. Foreigners should bring a translator to the meeting, he added. Starting with its mid-September issue, the Phuket Gazette will carry a series of articles by Khun Annop, in which he hopes to clarify the tax laws for foreigners. Meanwhile, the Revenue Office has completed its checks on dive shops. Next will be tour companies, tailors and restaurants.