The Revenue Department and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) have been instructed to ensure the new Chinese online retailer Temu complies with Thai laws and pays taxes, said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
His remarks come in response to concerns from local industry that Thai manufacturers may struggle against a flood of cheap products from China if government measures are not sufficient to address the entry of Temu.
The Chinese e-commerce platform plans to attract customers with low-cost products by offering discounts of up to 90% on items sold on its platform. This has raised fears that it could hurt local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Asked what measures will be taken to protect local industries, Mr Srettha said every company doing business in Thailand must fulfil its tax obligations and state agencies must ensure compliance.
Mr Srettha said the issue is of high importance and the government must be prepared to address it, particularly in better protecting local SMEs. He added that discussions are underway about stricter import measures, including a value-added tax for imported goods priced below 1,500 baht.
Earlier, Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, honorary president of the Thai E-commerce Association, said the government needs to take stronger action to curb illegal cross-border products and enforce stricter import standards to ensure fairness for Thai SMEs.