E-payment system moves a step closer

E-payment system moves a step closer

Cashless transactions to ease tax collection

Somchai: E-payment transfers via ID cards
Somchai: E-payment transfers via ID cards

The Any ID first module of a national e-payment system set to be implemented next month will allow people to use their identification cards to pay for goods and services with a 20-baht minimum.

Finance permanent secretary Somchai Sujjapongse said the Any ID e-payment module of the system, a collaboration between his ministry and the Bank of Thailand, would enable anyone to transfer money using their ID card, mobile number or email address.

The second module, to follow at a later date, will be an expansion of the electronic data capture (EDC) software that collects and stores customer data.

EDC uses the point-of-sale terminal, or specialised software for online transactions, to submit and validate transactions to a merchant account provider or some other transaction processor.

To enable financial transactions via the EDC system, the government will require all companies and business operators nationwide to participate.

All plastic-card operators now provide financial services using their own data systems.

But e-payments will be enabled as the government develops a single system that will enable the synchronisation of business operators' data.

All businesses will be required to register with the government for an account, which will be linked to relevant government agencies, in order to access the government's e-payment system.

If they fail to register, they will lose the opportunity to access the client base on the digitised platform.

Small businesses in particular will enter the government system, which will allow the government to assess their actual balance sheet.

By year-end, the Finance Ministry will ask small and medium-sized businesses to operate an account in exchange for a lower corporate income tax rate and the ministry not tracing their financial or tax payment records.

The goal is to pull everyone into the government's taxation system, the same as in developed countries.

In the third module, all low-income earners will be required to register in order to access free government services such as public transport and utilities through their ID cards.

The fourth module will link e-payments and the Revenue Department's taxation system.

Mr Somchai said this would make tax collection more efficient, as e-payments would allow the government to receive transaction data.

Once the department receives the data, it can immediately calculate how much that particular company will be taxed or rebated.

"For instance, if you buy goods via your ID card, the Revenue Department will immediately know how much you paid for what and where," Mr Somchai said.

The final module will be a campaign offering incentives to make e-payments.

Finance Minister Apisak Tantiworawong earlier said the e-payment system was a priority, as he wanted to see Thailand jump ahead of other Asean members in terms of financial costs and competitiveness.

According to data from the Thai Bankers' Association (TBA), e-payments will allow the country to save 100 billion baht a year or almost 1% of GDP on cash transactions after its five-year Payment Roadmap through 2019 was completed.

The TBA's Payment Roadmap, in collaboration with the Bank of Thailand, sees cashless transactions increasing to 50-60 per capita per year by 2020 from 25 now.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (1)