r/Thailand • u/thestudiomaster • 1d ago
News Thailand eyes US$30 departure tax for tourists in revenue push
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/2026/10/13/thailand-eyes-us-30-departure-tax-for-tourists-in-revenue-push74
u/OkBee2130 1d ago
They are broke and desperate.
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u/lowkeytokay Thailand 1d ago
You are so wrong. They are not broke. If they were broke, they would actually collect taxes, cut on a large portion of government jobs (almost everyone work in some government body 🤯), reform the pension system, etc. They are just lazy to do real reforms because they don’t want to do anything remotely unpopular. Keep people employed (government jobs) guarantees not losing votes at the next election. Taxing a bunch of foreigners is politically easier than taxing Thai people. The pension system should really be reformed, but it’s still a long term problem, leave it to future governments to solve.
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u/hootix 1d ago
Tourism isn't recovering as before. Also they already thought about increasing VAT to 10% from 7% because they are broke. But the timing made it push completely back (fuel, high Inflation etc).
How long they can hold it off, will be interesting to see
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u/lukkreung98 1d ago edited 1d ago
Plus they are already trying to downsize the beauracracy with a goal of 5% per year and asking older people to retire early and take pensions now.
Edit: And Increasing government debt.
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u/lowkeytokay Thailand 1d ago
I’ve heard that. They are planning to offer early retirement to government officers as a way to downsize. Still a concept of a plan… let’s see if it happens. Still lukewarm reforms, in my opinion. If they were really desperate, they would think about how to boost Thai economy. But all their “friends” are happy, so definitely not a priority… let’s just introduce a departure tax to foreigners.
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u/OkBee2130 1d ago
Bud, they are broke. Debt versus GDP. Household debt. Industries leaving. Foreign money going somewhere else because they may lose everything if the rules change. Tourism going cheaper places with less headaches. Ageing population. No babies born. On and On and On.....
Anyone with half a brain can see this country is crashing and the gravy train for the well connected and politicians is slowing down significantly if not coming to a halt.
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u/lowkeytokay Thailand 1d ago
What I poorly tried to say is that there is still so much room for the government to steer the country in a good direction - the economy and country is really in bad shape but still not in a critical position. And mostly I wanted to rant about the shitty drug dealer corrupt bootlicker government. Fuck Anutin and anyone who enabled him.
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u/I-Here-555 16h ago
They're on a negative trajectory, but they're far from broke like Greece or Argentina were at one point.
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u/GelatinousPumpkin 1d ago
This tax is for any tourists…including Thais….you wanna be a victim so bad 🤡
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u/Taxi-Shinawat 1d ago
If only it would be spent on tourism infrastructure. Knowing how Thailand works the money will end up in someone's pocket.
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u/chamanao_man 1d ago
those overpriced euro sportscars thanks to their own 300% import tax law and fancy moo baan homes don't pay for themselves now do they!
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u/CerealKiller415 1d ago
Many of those low quality overpriced moobaan homes flooded a few weeks ago. Developers didn't design in and build drainage
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u/chamanao_man 1d ago
won't stop thais from buying them though...how else will society know they're rich and have made it in life?
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u/valletta2019 Bangkok 1d ago
They quickly seem to have forgotten how bad covid was for tourism and how desperate they were. As someone who has been visiting for 8 years and living here for the past 5, it’s becoming harder and harder to justify holidaying here VS Vietnam where your money stretches far more
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u/Lashay_Sombra 1d ago
Those up top dont care about tourisim and never have, because few if any are actually involved in it, especially outside the chinese segment
They prefure markets they can capture and control, which is is why they loved the chinese tour groups even though it was small spend per individual
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u/duhdamn 1d ago
Yep. Foreigner fatigue. I feel it deeply, daily. Thailand wants us out. Expats, tourists, all of us. After 10 years of spending a freaking fortune here every year, I’m damn close to a permanent departure. It’s certainly not some BS departure tax. It’s just abuse after abuse. The pros/cons analysis is just increasingly screaming, fuck this place.
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u/hextree 1d ago
It's $63 total, and it isn't 'for tourists', everyone pays it including Thai citizens.
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u/Prestigious_Sea_5121 1d ago
.. that makes it even worse, forcing your own population to pay to leave their country. WTF?
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u/Sci-meme 1d ago
At some point you won’t be able to solve all your problems by blaming/taxing foreigners. Quite interested to see what happens then.
It’s like inverse germany here, as far as how goverment handles foreigners . Either way it’s not good.
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u/Responsible_Half8368 1d ago
This is very short sighted, if you want to tax more add an entry tax. The last experience of a trip is remembered very strongly, and an unreasonably high exit tax will sour the visit, especially for families who will pay it for multiple people.
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u/worldwidetrav 1d ago
Vietnam charges 25usd. They also charge 4usd everytime you fly domestically
Every country does this
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u/Kaszrak 1d ago
Big boss needs more cocked up concubines. Lol
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u/BJ_Fish2 1d ago
None of these things bother me, except if it's not included on the ticket. I don't want to line up and have to pay this stupid fee.
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u/Vegardu Edit This Text! 1d ago edited 1d ago
I thought they wanted to attract people with money! This is an incentive for the people here with no money to stay illegally and never leave! It's just some corrupt scheme to line the pockets of the powerful. Arrival fees I can understand, but this is blatant corruption or stupidity.
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u/bomber991 1d ago
It’s about $1200 for a round trip ticket for me. If it increases more then whatever. That’s probably the attitude they’re counting on but it is what it is.
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u/Charlie_in_Asia 1d ago
Most arrive visa free. Visa will run you $100-200 USD so a $30 exit fee and no visa fee is a deal
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u/Ok_Assistant_4784 1d ago
Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam they take money from Visa from most tourists. Thailand never did that.
Now they are finding a hidden way to make this money. In a way or another is all about the money.
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u/Spokane_Al 1d ago
Huge swaths of the country are populated in abject poverty. Thailand does what it can to squeeze a bit of additional revenue when and where it can.
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u/ChevChelios33 17h ago
This is currently a draft measure undergoing public consultation...so just like anthing else. no one knows for sure
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u/Prestigious_Sea_5121 11h ago edited 11h ago
Thailand really is a kakistocracy in many ways. A government that just brazenly exploits anything it can for a bit of extra money. Of course, the worst thing is how they treat their own people like slaves paying slave wages. It's disgusting.
"Kakistocracies (literally, governments by the worst) proliferate in weak and disorganized political systems that repel the talented and attract the inept and most debased."
That does kind of fit to Thailand, meanwhile, I'm very sorry to say.
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u/CyroSwitchBlade 1d ago
The Philippines does this.. They call it an airport tax.
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u/mdsmqlk 1d ago
Thailand (and all other countries) has airport taxes too.
The Philippines does have a departure tax, for its own citizens. Does not apply to tourists.
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u/slamploober 1d ago
There is a fee for tourists who stay over 6 months in the Philippines, you need to go to an immigration office and pay for a certificate to leave the country, otherwise you can be denied leaving at the airport
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u/mdsmqlk 1d ago
Yep, that's a visa extension. Also a thing in Thailand, with the difference that most tourists can't stay for six months here in the first place.
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u/slamploober 1d ago
No, that's different. It's called an exit clearance certificate, and is an extra fee on top of the visa.
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u/phantomquiff 1d ago
I had to pay a fee flying out of Puerto Princesca, which I hadn't been expecting.
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u/CyrusT_999 1d ago
Thaksin's tax bill still hovers around 510,000,000.00 USD They need to put that to rest.
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u/Lordfelcherredux 1d ago
If this results in fewer begpackers and other whingers of various economic means I'm all for it.
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u/Daryltang Bangkok 1d ago
But is it a zero sum game?
Less “tourist” less money collected
Less money brought and spent in the country
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u/Arkansasmyundies 1d ago
Less than zero sum. But, the money collected goes into the ‘right’ people’s pockets, rather than spread diffusely through the economy.
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u/Jumba2009sa 1d ago
Begpackers and anyone that would rethink their trip because of 30$ is not bringing economic impact anyway.
They will stay in cheap hostels, eat cheap, do tour groups and free walking tours.
Maybe they will end up spending 1000$ in a month.
Or a tourist that just their hotel for a 5 night stay is 1000$?
There is no downside to this.
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u/Material-Grocery5478 12h ago
im middle road. Im staying for 3 weeks in a decent hotel. But if im being nickeled and dimed more and more in already scam land, why would I come back? That 30 extra is 3 or 4 days of lunch in veitnam. Ya its 30$ whatever but im already being scammed daily.
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u/cndn-hoya 🇹🇭 1d ago
This is when tourists go elsewhere
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u/ickN 1d ago
Yeah that $30 should disrupt all travel plans. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/cndn-hoya 🇹🇭 1d ago
In the early 2000’s, Thailand had a similar system whereby you would purchase your departure tax at an automated kiosk and it would print this for you.
Most countries have this tax levied at the time of purchasing an airline ticket, where it’s built in.
Some tourists will actually go elsewhere when they see something that is explicit like this.
It won’t affect you or me, but it will affect decisions ultimately, which is why it’s up for debate.
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u/Jumba2009sa 1d ago
If someone can’t afford 30$ on leaving the airport then they shouldn’t be flying in the first place.
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u/botle 1d ago
It's not about affording it.
It's about every small extra thing like this pushing some small percentage of people to travel somewhere else.
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u/Jumba2009sa 1d ago
It’s 30 bucks. I spent more on chicken wings in a bar.
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u/botle 1d ago
It's disincentive. It's not about not affording it.
Someone somewhere will be looking at flights to Thailand and there is a psychological difference between 380 and 410 when you see it in the price list.
Everyone that travels internationally can afford 30 bucks, but every small increase has a proportional drop in demand. People end up going somewhere else.
Another important factor is how these news affect people's willingness to come to Thailand. News about extra taxes and decreased visa free entries and stays can give people a feeling that they are not welcome, and encourage them to go somewhere else. So it's not just about price.
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u/Jumba2009sa 1d ago
Good, because anyone that can’t get (or double think) a 410$ flight from - gasp 380$ - is not spending anyway and will be on a budget.
It is more beneficial to sort out the low cost traveller.
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u/botle 1d ago edited 1d ago
You're misunderstanding me.
You could be a person that could easily afford a 3000 flight, but still subconsciously pick a cheaper flight and end up somewhere else.
You can also get a feeling that you're unwanted in Thailand and go explore some other country.
This is not free money.
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u/Jumba2009sa 1d ago
You think someone on skyscanner picking the cheapest flight to Thailand knows there is a recent 30$ add on?
And do you think that someone looking at skyscanner would be like oh this got 30$ more expensive time to look at Malaysia instead?To almost universally every tourist coming to Thailand they are coming to thailand not looking at the cheapest flight to a SE Asia destination.
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u/hootix 1d ago
This discussion comes up all the time when Thailand increases arrival tax or departure tax. This isn't just 30$. But on top of all the previous ones. Which seem to be a yearly to bi yearly thing now to increase. Iirc it's approaching 100$ now.
And this one again isn't only for foreigners, but Thais also have to pay for this departure tax.
Heck someone already showed that Thailand arrival/departure tax is the second highest cost on a plane ticket, not far under the fuel cost. Stop supporting this bullshit
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u/Jumba2009sa 1d ago
I don’t support high volume budget tourism.
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u/hootix 1d ago
Then you don't seem to like why Thailand had success to begin with and don't like the economy to be stimulated
Budget travelers stimulate the economy better, as they usually travel to multiple places and spend their money at various mom and pop stores. Money going to many different Thai businesses. better than a rich person staying at 1 resort and mostly eating at said resort.
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u/EngineeringNo2984 1d ago
Tourism is competitive. This just adds to ticket price, which people consider when they choose a destination.
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u/ToMagotz 1d ago
They handed out money like a fucking sultan so they had to resort to this bs policy that will probably destroy more revenue in the long run.
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u/ChrisKeepsFlying 1d ago
They want the tourist to help the flood victims because they FAILED at that.
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u/yallapapi 1d ago
Jesus Christ it’s $30 why is in the news every day if $30 is expensive for you then stay home holy fuck
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u/Ok-Lawfulness3305 1d ago
I enter Bali on a entry visa. In Thailand I can use the Egate. Is there way of collecting money from those who can avoid the immigration line
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u/GeneralTang 1d ago
It'll probably be added onto flight tickets as a tax that the airline will then pay to Thailand
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u/Ok-Needleworker-3486 1d ago
It already is for the existing tax, land borders currently don't pay it. Maybe that will change at some point though.
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u/wise_joe 1d ago
But then it's a tax for everyone including Thais, not just tourists. Their goal is to just fleece foreigners.
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u/Prestigious_Sea_5121 1d ago
30 dollars to leave the country? Are they mad? Why don't they just start collecting taxes in the country properly first. They can start with themselves.