Thai employer group alleges forced 2% income levy for Myanmar govt

Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand are allegedly being forced to pay 2% of their estimated earnings, around 6,000 baht each, purportedly for Myanmar’s military government, employer representative Nilubon Pongpayom told a briefing at Parliament in Bangkok on November 2, 2026. Nilubon, representing the White Employers group, alleged that the additional demands were made inside centres issuing Certificates of Identity (CI).

The People’s Party called for Thai government oversight of migrant identity-document centres and a formal challenge to Myanmar’s tax collection from workers in Thailand. The party outlined its proposals following a shadow cabinet meeting.

Employer alleges extra charges at identity centres

Nilubon said passport-related fees payable at 7-Eleven had risen from 310 baht to 710 baht and then to 2,670 baht.

The White Employers group had written to the Department of Employment about the increases, Nilubon explained. A parliamentary security committee subsequently invited the department’s director-general and the group to discuss the issue.

Nilubon said the discussions revealed that additional taxes imposed by Myanmar authorities had been incorporated into the payment receipts without explanation to employers or workers. She argued that workers already paying tax in Thailand should not face duplicate taxation.

Nilubon also alleged that Myanmar brokers demanded unofficial queue payments of 1,350–1,500 baht from workers who had already paid their fees and secured CI appointments. Workers who refused to pay could not proceed with their applications, she claimed.

For the further 2% charge demanded inside the centres, Nilubon said workers were instructed to transfer money through TrueMoney and then make another payment at 7-Eleven. Some workers could not afford the costs, leaving employers to advance the money despite their own losses from flooding.

Nilubon estimated that about 700,000 workers needed CI documents, while more than one million had passports approaching expiry.

“We are trying to do everything legally, but instead face costs forced on us by Myanmar’s military government, especially when employers are already affected by flooding,” Nilubon said.

“If we do not pay, the workers cannot afford it themselves. Eventually, they will no longer stay with us, making labour shortages even worse,” Nilubon added.

People’s Party presses for Thai oversight of CI centres

Sahassawat Kumkong, a People’s Party MP for Chonburi, called for CI centres to be reformed and placed under Thai government supervision if they remained necessary. He proposed changes over the short, medium and long term:

1. Reform the centres immediately and ensure that Thailand can supervise their operations.
2. Reconsider whether CI centres are needed at all. Sahassawat noted that Thailand had previously collected workers’ identity information and conducted registration unilaterally.
3. Overhaul migrant labour management across the system, including the Immigration Act and the emergency decree governing foreign-worker employment.

Sahassawat argued that registration should be simple, fast and affordable, but described Thailand’s system as difficult, slow and expensive. Hidden charges encouraged corruption and obstructed access to formal registration, leaving Thailand without reliable figures on migrant workers or the industries employing them, he said.

Sahassawat questioned whether complaints about double taxation, unofficial payments and “ghost” queues indicated that Thai territory was being used to facilitate collections for Myanmar’s military. The Labour Ministry could not disclaim responsibility, he argued.

Sahassawat described paying taxes and employment-related charges in the country of work as an internationally accepted principle. He argued that workers should not face what he called unlawful duplicate taxation by their home government.

Sahassawat acknowledged that the labour minister had introduced measures including checks on additional CI charges and consideration of short-term extensions. However, he argued that these measures did not address the underlying problems.

Shadow cabinet urges challenge to Myanmar’s 2% tax

Pisan Manawapat, the People’s Party’s shadow foreign minister, called for a formal Thai challenge to Myanmar’s 2% income tax on workers in Thailand as part of a five-point response.

Pisan criticised what he described as Thailand’s excessive deference to Myanmar’s military leaders, arguing that it undermined Thai dignity and national interests and caused hardship for Thai citizens. He cited bombing attacks on ethnic minorities that had spilled across the Thai border and accused Myanmar’s military of disregarding both Thailand and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Five-Point Consensus.

Pisan outlined five proposals from the shadow cabinet:

1. Prioritise the economic benefits Thailand receives from lawful migrant employment over the interests of Myanmar’s military government.
2. Formally notify Myanmar that, in the party’s view, the 2% tax on workers’ income in Thailand is inconsistent with international law and conflicts with the bilateral double taxation agreement signed in 2002.
3. Relax requirements for temporary personal identification documents to reduce employers’ costs and the burden on public hospitals associated with migrant workers and their families entering Thailand outside the formal system.
4. Review Thailand’s gradual diplomatic approach towards Myanmar, which Pisan argued had damaged the country’s dignity and produced only losses.
5. Address cross-border munitions, drugs and river contamination by tackling what Pisan identified as their underlying cause: the prolonged conflict between Myanmar’s military and ethnic groups.

Natthaphong calls for equal protection of workers

Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the People’s Party leader and a party-list MP, called for equal protection of fundamental human rights alongside measures to help Thai employers and workers adapt and improve their skills.

Natthaphong argued that workers of every nationality should receive fair wages, safe working conditions that meet accepted standards, and protection from exploitation, forced labour and human trafficking. Compliance with these international standards would strengthen Thailand’s international standing as the country pursued membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), he added.

Natthaphong identified three realities that should guide migrant labour policy:

1. Migrant workers are indispensable to Thailand’s economy, and losing them would affect businesses and the wider economy.
2. Weaknesses and alleged corruption among state officials, particularly in CI registration, allow neighbouring governments to profit from migrants working in Thailand. Natthaphong accused the Thai government of neglecting the problem and questioned whether the practices infringed Thai sovereignty.
3. Failures in migrant labour management affect Thai workers and employers as well as migrant workers.

Natthaphong proposed three measures to improve the system:

1. Create a clear database identifying how many migrant workers are in Thailand, their industries, how many are awaiting document verification and how many remain outside the formal system.
2. Review occupations reserved for Thai nationals. Thai workers should remain the main workforce where there is no shortage, while restrictions could be relaxed where migrant workers are needed to fill gaps.
3. Provide Thai-language learning and other support to help migrant workers adapt to Thai culture and ways of life, reducing the risk of future conflict.

Natthaphong also condemned the assault on a migrant-worker protest leader outside the United Nations office on Ratchadamnoen Nok Road. Physical violence was unacceptable in a democracy governed by the rule of law, regardless of whether people agreed with the protesters’ views, he said.