Thai smokers leading the way in sporting activities

The retail prices of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages increased by about two percent in Thailand after the imposition on Friday of a new sports tax, according to a story in the Bangkok Post.

Manufacturers of these products – or, rather, consumers of these products – are required to make contributions to the new sports fund on top of excise tax and contributions to two other funds.

They currently pay three billion baht a year to the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and two billion baht to ThaiPBS, the public television operator modelled on the UK’s BBC.

The two percent sports tax is calculated on the excise tax the manufacturers pass on each year; and, based on the latest figures, the sports tax will bring in about three billion baht a year.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry is pushing for a fund to promote learning, to which consumers, through the manufacturers, will be required to contribute another 1.5 percent or 2-3 billion baht a year.