Forex operators plead for help in tourist-free times
Currency exchange operators asked the government to help them on Thursday (April 30), saying their business had been hit hard by restrictions imposed to fight the virus pandemic.
The Thai Association of Foreign Exchange (TAFEX) told the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration that the lockdown of shops and venues and the flight ban had taken a severe toll on currency exchange operations, since their business is directly connected to tourism.
TAFEX, led by its president Somchai Phipathananunth, added that the government had not ordered currency-exchange booths to be closed, so operators were not eligible to receive government compensation that is being handed to businesses ordered to shut.
The association wants short-term interest-free loans to boost liquidity, and a suspension of the special business tax for forex operators.
It also asked the government to allow electronic transactions as a way of supporting operators with capacity.