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Now being rounded up by police: customs officials & Thais returning from UK as students & workers who illegally imported luxury cars for profit.

Photo above of Ferrari sports cars definitely a luxury car by anyone's criteria. (See Wikipedia)

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CORRUPTION

PACC cracks down on luxury car tax dodgers

23/05/2012
King-oua Laohong

Forty customs officials will be investigated for corruption for their roles in the evasion of tax on imported luxury cars, said the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission.

PACC secretary-general Dusadee Arayawuthi said yesterday that taxes were dodged in the imports of about 5,000 European and Japanese cars valued at 10 billion baht.

He said the 40 customs officials are suspected of having a hand in the racket. They work at ports in Laem Chabang in Chon Buri, Klong Toey in Bangkok and Rayong.

Pol Col Dusadee said the Customs Department director-general promised to take action against the officials.

The PACC did not give the names of the officials. The anti-corruption office recommended they be probed and suspended from duty.

The officials are believed to be part of a wider racket involving tax evasion on cars.

Pol Col Dusadee said the PACC will also refer the officials to the National Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation on charges of abuse of power.

The PACC found 222 companies to be illegally importing cars, although many may be fake companies.

Pol Col Dusadee said there were many suspicious aspects to the racket, with some of the imported vehicles coming with maintenance and repair records even though they were brand new.

The tax declaration papers of the vehicles were also forged.

Pol Col Dusadee said the 40 officials were probably paid by private companies to help them dodge taxes.

Owners of these companies will be charged with collusion and possibly with money laundering as well.

During the course of the investigation, the Anti-Money Laundering Office will be asked to freeze the assets of the company owners.

The PACC earlier sought Britain's help in probing the activities of Thai students and Thai workers who had returned from Britain with luxury vehicles they had bought there.

Since 2008, 31 luxury cars were imported by Thai students and Thai nationals who worked in Britain, according to the PACC.

Fourteen of these vehicles are thought to have evaded import duties and been sold on the grey market at prices up to 60% cheaper than their market price in Thailand.

British authorities were asked to check if the Thais met the criteria to be eligible for exemption from import duties.

The students returned to Thailand after graduation, bringing cars they claimed were second-hand models, which qualified them to pay much lower import tariffs than for new vehicles.

However, the PACC discovered the specifications of the cars showed they were in fact new.

After being brought into the country, the vehicles were believed to have been sold on the open market.

In the past four years, importers have been under-reporting the real prices of luxury cars by up to three-quarters, Pol Col Dusadee said.

(Source: Bangkok Post, CORRUPTION, PACC cracks down on luxury car tax dodgers, 23/05/2012, King-oua Laohong, link) 

Corruption Vocabulary

customs - the government agency that controls, inspects, and taxes goods coming into a country กรมศุลกากร ด่านศุลกากร (See Wikipedia)
customs officials - high level government officials who work for customs

corruption - (See Wikipedia on bribery, corporate corruption, and political corruption)

crack down - when the police start strong enforcement of a law for a period of time (search for and find people breaking the law and start legal cases against them to punish them by fine or jail sentence)

round up - gather together and bringing to one place (example: the cowboy rounded up the cattle and put them in the coral)

luxury - the best and most expensive of something ที่หรูหรา
luxury car - expensive high quality cars (See Wikipedia)
imported luxury cars

criteria - a standard that is used for judging something or for making a decision about something บรรทัดฐาน  (See glossary)
a luxury car by anyone's criteria

tax evasion - avoiding the payment of taxes by illegal means (See Wikipedia)
evasion of tax

evasion - avoiding (doing something you must do) การหลีกเลี่ยง
tax evasion on cars

luxury car tax evasion - paying less tax or no tax at all on a luxury car brought into the country

tax dodging -  Same as "tax evasion"
dodge taxes
dodge - run away from, avoid something unpleasant หลบหลีก

tax dodger - a person who avoids paying taxes (breaking the law)
taxes were dodged

the officials are believed to be part of a wider racket involving tax evasion on cars.

their roles in the evasion of tax on imported luxury cars

PACC secretary-general Dusadee Arayawuthi said yesterday that taxes were dodged in the imports of about 5,000 European and Japanese cars valued at 10 billion baht.

PACC cracks down on luxury car tax dodgers

investigation (noun) - the process of trying to find out all the details or facts about something การสอบสวน การตรวจสอบหาข้อเท็จจริง
investigate (verb) - do or carry out an investigation
investigated for corruption

Forty customs officials will be investigated for corruption for their roles in the evasion of tax on imported luxury cars, said the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission.

racket - an illegal activity that earns money การหาเงินโดยผิดกฎหมาย
having a hand in - being part of, participating in some activity

suspected - people believe that they might have done something wrong, but not yet proven เป็นที่สงสัย
suspected of having a hand in the racket

ports - places on the water next to land where ships and boats can stop and park and offload passengers and cargo (goods)
take action against - enforce laws, punish for wrongdoing

probed - investigated (check to discover what is happening)

suspended - stopped for a period of time (temporarily)
duty - something that you have to do because it is part of your job, or something that you feel is the right thing to do หน้าที่, ความรับผิดชอบ
suspended from duty - when a worker is stopped from doing their duties and tasks at work for a period of time

He said the 40 customs officials are suspected of having a hand in the racket. They work at ports in Laem Chabang in Chon Buri, Klong Toey in Bangkok and Rayong. Pol Col Dusadee said the Customs Department director-general promised to take action against the officials. The PACC did not give the names of the officials. The anti-corruption office recommended they be probed and suspended from duty.

power - the ability to control people and events in a situation

abuse - doing something you are not supposed to do, spending money on something you are not supposed to spend on; to use or treat someone or something wrongly or badly, especially in a way that is to your own advantage ใช้ในทางที่ผิด

abuse of power - when power is used to break the law or for immoral purposes
investigation on charges of abuse of power

charges - bring a criminal case against a person
charges of abuse of power - when a person is accused of breaking the law (and legal action is started against them)

Pol Col Dusadee said the PACC will also refer the officials to the National Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation on charges of abuse of power.

fake - not real (made to look real by someone but not real, meant to cheat and deceive) ปลอม ปลอมแปลง
fake companies - companies that are not real (looks like a company but is not)

The PACC found 222 companies to be illegally importing cars, although many may be fake companies.

suspicious - making you believe that something is wrong, dangerous or illegal น่าสงสัย - a feeling that someone or something cannot be trusted
suspicious aspects
suspicious aspects to the racket

vehicles - machines with an engine used to carry people or goods from place to place ยานพาหนะ
imported vehicles

maintenance - keeping something such as a building, machine, or piece of equipment repaired and in good condition การซ่อมบำรุง
repair - to fix something that is broken or damaged ซ่อมบำรุง

records - pieces of information describing something written down or stored on a computer บันทึุก
maintenance and repair records

brand new - very new 

Pol Col Dusadee said there were many suspicious aspects to the racket, with some of the imported vehicles coming with maintenance and repair records even though they were brand new.

declaration - an official announcement that something is true or is happening การประกาศ
tax declaration
tax declaration papers - documents that show what taxes were paid on the vehicle
tax declaration papers of the vehicles

forged - fake, when documents or papers are made to look real but they are not real
forged papers
forged tax declaration papers of the vehicles

collusion - secretly working together to achieve some illegal or immoral goal การสมรู้ร่วมคิด
money laundering

The tax declaration papers of the vehicles were also forged. Pol Col Dusadee said the 40 officials were probably paid by private companies to help them dodge taxes. Owners of these companies will be charged with collusion and possibly with money laundering as well.

assets - things owned, especially property and money สินทรัพย์
freeze assets - take action so that a person cannot get the money in their bank accounts and other places, or sell things they own 

probing - investigate
probing activities

During the course of the investigation, the Anti-Money Laundering Office will be asked to freeze the assets of the company owners. The PACC earlier sought Britain's help in probing the activities of Thai students and Thai workers who had returned from Britain with luxury vehicles they had bought there. Since 2008, 31 luxury cars were imported by Thai students and Thai nationals who worked in Britain, according to the PACC.

import - to buy or bring in products from another country นำเข้า
duties - tariffs, taxes paid on imported goods
import duties - taxes on goods brought into a country

tariffs - taxes on imports (to make foreign goods less competitive in a country) พิกัดอัตราภาษีศุลกากร
import tariffs - Same as "import duties"

models - different designs or types of a product

grey market - an unofficial market, the buying and selling of goods through distribution channels that are unofficial, unauthorized or unintended by the original manufacturer, but may be legal (See Wikipedia)

grey import vehicles - "new or used motor vehicles and motorcycles legally imported from another country through channels other than the maker's official distribution system" (See Wikipedia)

authorities - government officials; the police or people in official organisations who have the legal power to make people obey laws or rules เจ้าหน้าที่ (ตำรวจ หรือผู้มีอำนาจ)

criteria - a standard that is used for judging something or for making a decision about something บรรทัดฐาน  (See glossary)
met the criteria - met the standard

exemption - not have to do something; ข้อยกเว้น
exemption from import duties - do not have to pay taxes on imports

eligible - meet the requirements or qualifications to do something  มีสิทธิ มีสิทธิชอบธรรมตามกฎหมาย เอื้อด้วยกฎหมาย ซึ่งมีคุณสมบัติเหมาะสม
eligible for exemption - meet the requirements for not having to do something

eligible for exemption from import duties

Fourteen of these vehicles are thought to have evaded import duties and been sold on the grey market at prices up to 60% cheaper than their market price in Thailand.  British authorities were asked to check if the Thais met the criteria to be eligible for exemption from import duties.

second-hand models - used models; not new; have already been used
qualified them to - met the requirements, (See "met the criteria" above)  

The students returned to Thailand after graduation, bringing cars they claimed were second-hand models, which qualified them to pay much lower import tariffs than for new vehicles.

specifications - detailed information about how something is made (includeds requirements, design, details, features)

under-reporting
under-reporting the real prices of luxury cars by up to three-quarters

However, the PACC discovered the specifications of the cars showed they were in fact new. After being brought into the country, the vehicles were believed to have been sold on the open market. In the past four years, importers have been under-reporting the real prices of luxury cars by up to three-quarters, Pol Col Dusadee said.