– The Association of Thai Travel Agents has agreed on a formal objection to the draft proposed 1,000-baht tax on every air departure and wants the Finance Ministry to hold the bill.
– Secretary-general Adith Chairattananon said the flat charge would hit families, students and small firms travelling for study, work or business, not only holidaymakers.
– The association listed six objections, including the June rise in the Airports of Thailand passenger charge and the still-proposed 450-baht foreign entry fee.
– Public consultation on the draft runs until 29 October. The tax is not in force.
Bangkok: The Association of Thai Travel Agents has asked the Finance Ministry to stop pushing a draft 1,000-baht tax on air departures, arguing the charge would raise the cost of leaving Thailand for Thais and foreigners before anyone has measured what it would do to flights, jobs and spending.
ATTA secretary-general Adith Chairattananon said the association had agreed to send a formal letter to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas. Association president Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn has also said the letter will set out the industry’s objection and ask for the bill to be delayed indefinitely while the ministry reviews the principle.
The Revenue Department opened consultation on the 30th of September on a draft Departure Tax Act. Comments run through the 29th of October. The draft would apply to every nationality. Air exits would be charged first, at 1,000 baht, under a legal ceiling of 5,000 baht. Land and sea exits would be exempt at the start.
That is the same proposal that drew a sharp response from agents, expats and tourists earlier this week,
ATTA’s letter sets out six points. A flat 1,000 baht would weigh more on cheap tickets, family trips, students and small exporters than on premium fares. It would stack on charges already in place or still in draft, including the Airports of Thailand international passenger service charge, raised from 730 to 1,120 baht on the 20th of June at six airports, among them Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang and Phuket. A separate 450-baht fee for foreign visitors is still only a proposal, focused on air arrivals in 2027.
The association also said households and small firms repairing flood damage are in no position to absorb another travel cost, that higher fares could push airlines to cut frequencies or drop thin routes, and that more than 13 million Thais travelling abroad, about 13.06 million in 2025 on the figures ATTA cited, support trade and ties with places such as Japan and China. The sixth point is that any revenue gain should be set against losses in jobs, spending and other tax.
On the association’s own arithmetic, a Thai leaving from an AOT airport would face 2,120 baht in passenger charges plus the new tax, 1,390 baht more than the old 730-baht charge, before the ticket. A foreign visitor who also paid the proposed 450-baht entry fee could face 2,570 baht across the three items, if all three applied.
Finance Minister Ekniti has defended the draft on the ground that a higher cost of flying out could push more Thais to holiday at home. ATTA wants that claim tested against employment, airline loads and other tax receipts, and says the ministry should look at revenue options that do not raise the price of a ticket. The association asked for the review to include tourism, transport and business representatives.