Buying a Car?

[PeteC]

The below letter from the Bangkok Post today is a good one. Thailand's tax on vehicles rivals that of Singapore. Singapore is about as big as Metro Bangkok, Thailand is as big as France. Singapore also has a 'lottery' system where one has to wait to buy certain cars. Perhaps soon to be showing in a cinema near you in LOS as well? Thailand also taxes imported components on cars made in Thailand that are not for export. This answers the writers below questions.

They would do much better to tax the living stuffing out of the old and overweight trucks that are destroying the highways and bridges, and killing people daily, but no, that would eat into the profits of the "R&P" (rich and powerful). Pete
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Why are Thais getting gouged?

I realise Thailand is a struggling but growing democracy, and I know the automobile is out of the reach of many Thais. This seems to be made worse by a huge price difference between Thai automobiles and those on sale elsewhere in the world. Why is the Thai consumer forced to pay so much more?

For example, a Honda made in Thailand and shipped to the United States sells for half what it costs in Thailand. A Honda Accord V6 made in Thailand shipped to the USA only costs $25,000. The same Honda Accord sold in Thailand costs $50,000 or 1,700,000 baht. Another example is the Subaru Legacy Turbo Charge GT Limited, which costs $28,300 or 933,900 baht in the US. In Thailand it costs 3,950,000 baht or $120,000.

Are Thais aware that cars made in Thailand are shipped thousands of kilometres and sold for half the price they are forced to pay? Something is wrong here.

ALAN KEYSER

Santa Barbara, USA

[gosompoi]

Thanks for the praise. I find it unfair to the thai people that build these cars in thailand. The Thai pay twice or three times what other persons in other counties pay for the cars they build.

Alan Keyser

[Farang]

Elementary, my dear Keyser! Thailand does not have much of a tax system;
the rich and powerful really pay no tax whatsoever. The way to tax the rich and powerful
is to slap a hefty tax on the unnecessary and environment-damaging toys like passenger cars.
These are the cars that the rich and powerful buy whereas the poor buy pickups with much lower tax rate.

Of course, if Thailand did away with schools, health services (such as they are)
and other services for the poor, silly walks and such, Thailand could do away with
the tax on the cars of the rich and powerful.
As it now is, taxing rich guys car to help the poor guy makes sense. Very much sense.