Spectre of UK's disastrous poll tax now hangs over Thailand

Finance Minister Sommai Phasee deserves sympathy for having to muddle through the new proposal for taxation of land and buildings. The proposal’s aim in narrowing the income gap is praiseworthy. However, the implementation plan is somewhat amateurish. The idea of limiting taxation to only one home suggests a lack of forethought.

Instead, in my humble opinion, the ministry would gain tremendous support if it offered tax exemptions for everyone with one home and the land it sits on, irrespective of their value. Citizens should have the right to own a home without disturbance from the state. Meanwhile, a hefty tax should be imposed on ownership of more than one home. Land and property are known to be concentrated in the hands of the few in Thailand, a fact supported every time politicians declare their assets. 

The government could learn a valuable lesson from the experience of Margaret Thatcher’s administration in the UK, which imposed a poll tax on everyone alike, irrespective of wealth. That move marked the beginning of the end for Thatcher as prime minister. 

Songdej Praditsmanont