Downtown VAT refund booths urged to set up in Thailand
The Thai Retailers Association (TRA) has proposed the Government of Thailand to let private operators run VAT refund booths at downtown duty- and tax-free shopping areas to boost sales.
A duty-free shop in Thailand (Photo: kingpower.com)
Bangkok (VNA) – The ThaiRetailers Association (TRA) has proposed the Government of Thailand to letprivate operators run VAT refund booths at downtown duty- and tax-free shoppingareas to boost sales.
According to the TRA, if the plan isendorsed, private retailers will partner with Global Blue, a well-known taxrefund company, to offer services to tourists in Thailand.
In the upcoming auction for airportduty-free concessions, the TRA recommended that the government lower theconcession period to five or seven years from the current 10 years, and raisethe concession fees to the government to the international standard of 30-40percent, compared to the 15-19 percent now collected from duty-free operators.
Reducing the lifetime of the concessionwould help prevent the long-term monopoly of a single operator and stimulateinnovation in terms of product quality and customer experience.
Visitors toThailand spend an average of 4,000 baht (about 123 USD) a day per person,mostly for hotel and food, but with the portion for shopping at just1,200-1,500 baht (37-46 USD), according to the Tourism Authority ofThailand. –VNA
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A duty-free shop in Thailand (Photo: kingpower.com) 
