The Revenue Department is amending the law to require foreign online platforms to register as vendors in the value-added tax (VAT) system.
Speaking after the weekly cabinet meeting chaired by caretaker deputy minister Phumtham Wechayachai, Suksit Srichomkwan, the caretaker prime minister's deputy secretary-general for political affairs, said the cabinet expedited measures to prevent the sale of illegal goods supervised by the Commerce Ministry.
There are five measures in total, one of which improves regulations to align with future commerce, particularly online trade.
As a result, e-commerce businesses and foreign online platforms must register as legal entities in Thailand and as vendors in the Revenue Department's VAT system.
The department is also in the process of amending its tax code, said Mr Suksit.
Other measures include enforcing regulations and laws by intensifying inspections of goods at customs checkpoints, such as declaration of product categories, VAT payment, product standard inspections and licences from the Food and Drug Administration.
Small business support
The measures also involve increasing the rate of full container load inspections, enhancing the frequency of Cyber Team checks and conducting standard inspections of products sold online.
He said the government also committed to stepping up measures to support small businesses by assigning the Commerce Ministry, Industrial Promotion Department, Community Development Department, Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion, National Science and Technology Development Agency and the National Innovation Agency to expedite the enhancement of production capabilities and business operations for these enterprises to make them competitive.
This includes promoting local entrepreneurs to expand exports through e-commerce platforms in target countries, said Mr Suksit.
Furthermore, there are measures to enhance and extend cooperation with trading partners such as China, Japan and South Korea to promote trade through e-commerce channels to push Thai products into international markets.