Curb the craving: Thailand to up tax on sweet drinks, food from April 1
Sweet, sugary food and beverages will become more expensive from April 1, as the Excise Department will be pushing up the tax again.
Ekniti Nitithanprapas, the department’s director-general, said on Friday that the hike was initially meant to be put in place on October 1 last year, but was postponed by the Cabinet to March 31 this year.
“The Excise Department will launch the third phase of the tax hike in fiscal 2023 in line with the law,” he said.
The first phase of the tax hike ran from September 16, 2017 to September 30, 2019, and the second phase from October 1, 2019 to October 1, 2022.
Under the third phase, from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2025, tax will be levied as follows:
• 0.3 baht/litre for 6-8 grams of sugar
• 1 baht/litre for 8-10g of sugar
• 3 baht/litre for 10-14g
• 5 baht/litre for more than 14g
Thailand began levying heavy taxes on sugary food and beverages in a bid to promote good health and to meet the World Health Organisation’s recommendation to prevent and contain non-communicable diseases.
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