The government's e-tax scheme will be rolled out in mid-2017, with plans to encourage companies to enter the system voluntarily rather than forcing them, says Finance Minister Apisak Tantiworavong.
"We will begin with the large firms first as they are more ready to enter the system right now. We might need to take three years to encourage businesses of all sizes to enter the e-tax system," said Mr Apisak.
The Thai government's e-payment scheme comprises an IT system and regulations to accommodate e-payments, e-tax invoicing and e-withholding tax in a bid to collect tax efficiently.
The scheme is also designed to encourage national digital economy development.
He said the government will not force companies to enter the system. The government delayed the roll-out of e-withholding tax and e-tax invoicing until next year rather than encourage them through incentives.
The Finance Ministry has pitched the idea of business operators being able to deduct their expenses for the installation of electronic data capture (EDC) machines up to two times actual expenses. Shops can also deduct EDC usage fees by two times.
The ministry's main effort will be in encouraging business operators to use a single account as duplicates will complicate their e-tax filings.
"A single account will make your life easier. For example, if you want to claim the value-added tax you can make a settlement right after the end of every month if you have only single account, as is global practice," said Mr Apisak.
He acknowledged it will not be easy for small and medium-sized enterprises to enter the e-tax system in the short term as most of these firms are family businesses.
"We have to give them some time to adjust, but they have to know sooner or later they must comply with the new rule as the country needs to make changes to be in line with global standards," said Mr Apisak.
Regarding the development of PromptPay, after its customer-to-customer system was postponed until the first quarter of next year because of a technical testing delay, Mr Apisak insisted the ministry will roll out the scheme by the first-quarter deadline.
He said for the e-wallet system, which is designed to accommodate low-income earners in using state services for free, such as public transport and utilities, the government should start launching some services soon and by the middle of next year all services and welfare will be available electronically.
Some 7.8 million out of 8.4 million low-income earners have registered with the government to verify they are eligible to receive state assistance measures specifically designed for that group.