Thailand expands curbs on illegal goods

Thai authorities have intensified efforts to combat illegal goods and foreign owned proxy enterprises registered under Thai nationals’ names to protect consumers, ensure fair competition, and curb economic losses, estimated at over 16 billion THB ( 470.5 million USD).

Thailand expands curbs on illegal goods (Photo: BangkokPost)
Thailand expands curbs on illegal goods (Photo: BangkokPost)

Bangkok (VNA) – Thai authorities have intensified efforts to combat illegal goods and foreign owned proxy enterprises registered under Thai nationals’ names to protect consumers, ensure fair competition, and curb economic losses, estimated at over 16 billion THB ( 470.5 million USD).

Thai government deputy spokesperson Sasikarn Watthanachan said two subcommittees have been established to oversee the crackdown. Legal action has been taken against 24,626 cases of illegal goods, with damage exceeding 1.25 billion THB.

Authorities have also recovered about 1.5 billion THB in value-added tax (VAT) from imported products priced under 1,500 THB. These measures led to an 8% drop in e-commerce imports in the first two months of this year, averaging a monthly decline of 3.64 billion THB.

Authorities will step up inspections of imported goods and closely monitor online and other sales platforms to ensure compliance with safety and quality standards, Sasikarn emphasised.

Regarding proxy businesses, legal action has been taken against 851 foreign-controlled companies registered under Thai nationals' names, causing estimated losses of 15.12 billion THB. The government plans to tighten scrutiny of shareholder documents and company operations while strengthening regulations on foreign-owned enterprises./.

VNA

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