Briefs

The broadcasting regulator has approved broadcasting licences for seven new pay-TV channels to be broadcast by TrueVisions to replace HBO Asia’s feed, which will be cancelled on January 1.
Pakdee Manaves, deputy secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, said yesterday that the NBTC’s broadcasting committee approved the licence applications submitted by the country’s largest subscription-based TV operator. 
The company needed seven licences for Warner TV, Paramount Channel HD, Celestial Classic Movies, Food Network, Fox Action Movies HD, Sony Channel and True Film HD 2 to replace six pay-TV channels from HBO Asia after it failed to renew a content-distribution agreement with HBO. 

KTB TO PAY TAX REFUNDS 
FROM JANUARY 4

Krungthai Bank will start to pay personal-income-tax refunds from January 4 onwards to people who have registered for PromptPay, said Songpol Chevapanyaroj, senior executive vice president and head of KTB’s global transaction banking group.
KTB is the main bank used by the Revenue Department to paying personal-income-tax refunds and social welfare to people. Under the national e-payment plan, the government will use PromptPay as the key channel to compensate taxpayers who have requested refunds of tax overpayments.
Songpol said the bank could transfer the refunds to taxpayers who have registered PromptPay with KTB or any other bank.
The Revenue Department will accept 2016 personal-income-tax returns from January 1 to March 31, 2017. Songpol added that the bank was ready to transfer government allowances to elderly and disabled persons in February.

LOWER GAS PRICES TO 
BENEFIT GLOVE MAKERS

Malaysia’s reduction in natural-gas tariff rates from January to June 2017 is expected to benefit the rubber-glove industry, as energy expenses account for 10-12 per cent of its total costs, PublicInvest Research said.
Gas Malaysia has announced that the government has approved the revision of the natural gas tariff for the non-power sector in Peninsular Malaysia from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019.
“Under the Gas Cost Pass Through (GCPT) mechanism, a tariff rebate of 40 sen [Bt3.20] per million British thermal units (MMBtu) will apply to all tariff categories for the period beginning January to June 2017,” the research house said in its note. 
“This translates to an average effective tariff of 26.31 ringgit/MMBtu, which is a reduction of 2.74 per cent from the previous average tariff, hence relieving some cost pressures for the glove players while |getting ready for the following adjustments going forward every six months. – The Star