New NGV buses

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Nereus
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New NGV buses

Post by Nereus »

Great fanfare few days ago bragging about the new NGV powered buses. Only in Thailand!
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Customs impounds 100 NGV buses amid duty doubts

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... uty-doubts

The Customs Department has impounded 100 natural gas vehicle (NGV) air-conditioned buses which were supposed to hit Bangkok streets late this month amid doubts over whether the import order is legitimate or was falsely declared to avoid more than 100 million baht in tax.

The first lot of 100 buses procured by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) arrived at Laem Chabang port on Dec 1. The remaining 389 will be delivered by Dec 29. The buses were procured from Bestlin Group in a deal worth 3.3 billion baht.

Chaiyut Kumkun, deputy director-general of the department, said Tuesday the vehicles were imported with a document asserting the vehicles originally came from Asean countries, or so-called Form D, which means the buses would be exempt from import duty under the Asean Free Trade Area (AFTA). Super Sara Co handled the import procedure.

However, customs authorities found the buses were not manufactured in Malaysia as claimed but come from China, and should not be subject to the tax exemption, Mr Chaiyut said. ......................>>>>>>>>>>>> more

The company said it had to pay 300,000 baht each day for parking the arrived buses at the port.
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Re: New NGV buses

Post by brianks »

Nothing short of amazing as to what the various departments of the government can come up with. They never seem to communicate with each other or play by the same set of rules. This is going to be a fun incident to see how it plays out.
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Re: New NGV buses

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Could be a repeat of the fire truck fiasco. Maybe they will remain in storage for the next 10 years and then someone will be given a tasty contract to refurbish them prior to entering service
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Re: New NGV buses

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Bristolian wrote:Could be a repeat of the fire truck fiasco. Maybe they will remain in storage for the next 10 years and then someone will be given a tasty contract to refurbish them prior to entering service
You are a very naughty boy to even think that something like that could happen here. :tsk: :tsk: :rasta:
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Re: New NGV buses

Post by Bristolian »

^ If course you're right, something like that could never happen here; what was I thikng ?

I wonder what the customs tea money will be for 100 busses as a first shipment accepted from Malaysia?

Even Monty Pythons didn't have sketches as good as this.
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Re: New NGV buses

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NGV bus provider 'made false declaration'

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... eclaration

The Customs Department has ruled all 489 air-conditioned NGV buses imported by Beslin Group, the company contracted to procure a 489-unit bus fleet for the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, came from China,not Malaysia as declared.

The ruling came after a dispute over the first 100 buses which arrived at Laem Chabang port nearly two weeks ago, when the importer claimed they were made in Malaysia.

As a result, Beslin Group will not be eligible for the 40% import duty exemption under the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) and will have to pay a fine equal to two times the tax due for each 2.95-million-baht bus.

......................................>>>>>>>>>>>>
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Re: New NGV buses

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Nereus wrote:NGV bus provider 'made false declaration'

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... eclaration

The Customs Department has ruled all 489 air-conditioned NGV buses imported by Beslin Group, the company contracted to procure a 489-unit bus fleet for the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, came from China,not Malaysia as declared.

The ruling came after a dispute over the first 100 buses which arrived at Laem Chabang port nearly two weeks ago, when the importer claimed they were made in Malaysia.

As a result, Beslin Group will not be eligible for the 40% import duty exemption under the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) and will have to pay a fine equal to two times the tax due for each 2.95-million-baht bus.

......................................>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ouch!! :tsk:
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Re: New NGV buses

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This is a great example of how things work here in the opaque world of business. A big business tries to pull a scam, oddly gets busted for some reason (probably didn't pay enough to the right person at some point).

Only after that fact of scumbaggery comes out they offer 'ideas' and a suggestion or two from some dodgy looking 'rotten to the core' company spokesman to try to limit the financial damage to themselves, whilst also wanting the tax payer to shoulder the burden of their dishonesty asap and then 'it can be sorted out later' just to get the busues on the streets.

That is an attempt to force the deal though with all this pious crap about '..the buses should be on the streets serving BBK people...' etc.

Give me a break...the chutzpah of these corporate scumbags knows no bounds. Busted fair and square.....however much gloss they put on it. You tried it on, got busted and now you have to pay.

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Re: New NGV buses

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This carry on is incredible, even for Thailand.
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BMTA considers scrapping NVG bus contract

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... s-contract

23 Dec 2016 at 06:15

The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) is considering scrapping its bus purchase deal with Bestlin Group in the wake of a customs tax evasion scandal.

The authority is seeking advice from the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) over possibly scrapping the contract based on concerns over the Customs Department's claim the buses were shipped from China, said BMTA director Surachai Eamvachirasakul.

If the Customs Department officially rules that the buses originated in China and not Malaysia, the BMTA cannot accept the buses, he said.

This is because the delivery contract signed with Bestlin requires that the buses to be imported from Malaysia.

........................................................>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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Re: New NGV buses

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The government should be arresting those behind the fake import documents for tax evasion and confiscating the buses without compensation to that dodgy opaque company....but then again, who knows what's going on here when it comes to the law?

Didn't they just bail a pretty doctor who has been sentenced to death for the premeditated murder of her shooting champ husband because she has a practice and a home so isn't a flight risk? :shock: D'fuq.

Funny when you consider those put in jail straight away for picking mushrooms in the wrong place or posting the wrong thing on social media.

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Re: New NGV buses

Post by PeteC »

Distinct possibility someone like Vietnam, Indonesia or even Malaysia are sitting back watching and smacking their lips that they may get a few hundred busses at a deep discount if everything goes bad here and they are cancelled. Pete :cheers:
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Re: New NGV buses

Post by Bristolian »

The whole thing is rotten to the core. Who did the bus evaluation/suitability tests? Who did the safety checks? Who visited the Malaysian manufacturer or body supplier? Who places an order of this magnitude without discussions with the manufacturer over options and special requirements? There is so much hidden behind this story
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Re: New NGV buses

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they done got bus ted.
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Re: New NGV buses

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Bus contractor hit with massive daily fine

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transpo ... daily-fine

The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) has begun to fine Bestlin Group 7.8 million baht a day for failing to deliver new buses on Thursday as contracted.

Bestlin must also pay almost 800 million baht to have the Customs Department release the new buses already landed in Thailand so they can be handed over to the BMTA.

BMTA director Surachai Eamvachirasakul said on Thursday the company has been told that the fine will start on Friday after it failed to hand over 489 new natural gas-fuelled buses worth 3.39 billion baht on Thursday. The amount includes a lost opportunity fine worth 16,000 baht per bus per day, he said.

When the daily fine had consumed all of the 330-million-baht project guarantee paid by the company to the BMTA, the bus agency will terminate the contract, he said.

The state enterprise will also demand that the company reveal its plans in respect of its obligations under the bus supply contract, he said.

Mr Surachai said the contract stipulated that the company import the buses from Malaysia. If imported from China, the BMTA could not accept them.

Customs Department spokesman Chaiyuth Khamkhoon said on Thursday that 391 buses had already been delivered to Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri, and that customs officials found they had been wholly made in China.

Super Zara Co, which handled the bus imports on behalf of Bestlin Group, declared 100 of the buses as being imported from Malaysia in order to seek an Asean tariff waiver. To clear the 100 falsely declared buses, the importer must pay tax and a fine of 3.7 million baht per bus, or a total of 370 million baht.

The importer agreed to place a guarantee to get the 100 buses released from the port, Mr Chaiyuth said.

The other 291 buses, not yet declared, would be subject to 422 million baht worth of normal import and value-added tax. The other 98 buses remained in Malaysia, he said.
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Re: New NGV buses

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Bestlin says it will deliver imported buses next week

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transpo ... -next-week

Bestlin Group said it is able to deliver the imported new buses to the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) by next week after it missed the delivery deadline last month, Deputy Transport Minister Phichit Akkarathit says.

According to Mr Phichit, the BMTA director Surachai Eamvachirasakul said Bestlin Group, which was contracted to supply 489 new buses to the BMTA, was expected to get 291 buses out of Laem Chabang Port yesterday after the buses were declared to authorities.

The BMTA anticipates to get the buses from the company by Tuesday and they will be kept at bus terminals the BMTA had provided, he added.

The buses will undergo a test run and are expected to be in service by the end of this month, according to the deputy minister.

Bestlin is required to pay 7.8 million baht per bus per day in fines during the time it is still unable to get the imported buses out of Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri as the department is demanding the company pay the 40% import tax, plus a fine.

Altogether, Bestlin will be charged 422 million baht (including VAT) for falsely declaring the first 100 imported buses held at Laem Chabang port.

Mr Phichit said the company has agreed to pay the 40% import tax, plus a fine. It already paid the import tax and a fine to authorities for the first bus.

Mr Phichit said the other 98 buses which are believed to still be in Malaysia are expected to arrive in Thailand next week.
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