Cabinet approves further income tax deductions for local tourists

BANGKOK, June 15 (TNA) – The Cabinet on Tuesday approved Thai travellers use of hotel receipts for personal income tax deductions of not more than Bt15,000 (US$460) in order to promote domestic tourism, according to Prime Minister’s Office deputy spokesman Watchara Kannikar.

The approval was in addition to a June 9 Cabinet resolution approving similar tax deductions for tour packages.

Mr Watchara said the Cabinet had assigned the Ministry of Labour to provide language training courses–teaching Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Arabic, for example, to travel industry employees, including tour guides and drivers.

It also assigned the tourism and sports ministry to cooperate with the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) to invite independent tourism entrepreneurs to register with the social welfare system to be entitled to receive assistance from the public sector. (TNA)