Customs collects over 4bn baht on low-value imports in 11 months of FY2026
Thai Customs links higher prices for imports worth up to 1,500 baht to fewer overseas purchases and more spending with domestic sellers
- Thailand's Customs Department collected over 4 billion baht in import duties on low-value goods (worth 1,500 baht or less) in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2026.
- This revenue was generated from 225 million imported items with a total combined value of 41 billion baht.
- The collection is a result of a new policy, effective January 1, 2026, which removed the previous duty exemption for low-value imports.
- As a consequence of the new tax, the volume of low-value imports is trending lower, with consumers reportedly shifting to domestic sellers.
Thailand’s Customs Department collected more than 4 billion baht in import duties on goods worth no more than 1,500 baht in the first 11 months of fiscal 2026, director-general Phantong Loykulnanta said, reporting a shift towards purchases from domestic sellers.
The low-value imports comprised 225 million items worth a combined 41 billion baht during the first 11 months of fiscal 2026, according to Phantong’s figures.
Thailand’s removal of the de minimis duty exemption extended applicable import duties to goods valued from 1 baht, ending the exemption for goods worth no more than 1,500 baht. The policy took effect on January 1, 2026, according to the Customs Department’s announcement.
Customs links pricier imports to more domestic purchases
Phantong said the import duty change had raised prices for products such as spectacles, mobile phone cases and watch straps, helping steer consumers towards domestic sellers.
Imports valued below 1,500 baht were trending lower, while consumers were buying more through platforms operated by domestic traders, Phantong said.
Low-value imports from China, which had previously been increasing, were now levelling off, according to Phantong. The customs chief attributed part of that change to consumers making fewer purchases from overseas.
Thai Customs’ overall tax collection rises 9%
The Customs Department collected 590.8 billion baht across all tax categories in the first 11 months of fiscal 2026, up 9% from the same period a year earlier, according to Phantong. The total includes value added tax (VAT), excise tax and municipal tax collected on behalf of other government agencies.
VAT collected by the Customs Department reached 338.743 billion baht in the first 11 months of fiscal 2026, an increase of 11% from the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, Phantong reported.
Phantong expects total tax collection by the Customs Department to exceed 600 billion baht for the full 2026 fiscal year, compared with 596 billion baht in fiscal 2025.
