The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) has outlined its plans this year to drive Thailand to become a hub of global technology and supply chains, highlighting three strategies: digital skills improvement, new opportunities and a new ecosystem.
The agency marked its eighth anniversary yesterday.
According to Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, president and chief executive of Depa, the initiative will promote digital skills improvement through its digital skills roadmap for Thais of all ages and groups using 5G networks.
The initiative aims to foster digital talent in every district nationwide, while encouraging job creation and skills development through tax incentives.
For businesses, expenses incurred by enrolling employees in digital training courses certified by Depa and its partners can be claimed as a 250% corporate tax deduction.
For individuals, the agency allows personal income tax deductions of up to 50,000 baht for fees paid for digital-related courses in 2025. Depa will also subsidise 70% of the cost for digital skills development for students, recent graduates and the unemployed.
In terms of new opportunities, the agency is promoting job creation and improving the nation's competitiveness through the support of Thai digital startups while empowering Thais in various industries to prepare for future opportunities, he said.
Regarding the creation of a new ecosystem, Mr Nuttapon said Depa integrates both tax and non-tax benefits, such as the launch of the Thailand Digital Catalog, a mechanism that compiles digital products and services from qualified providers as well as pricing criteria, serving both the public and private sectors.
The agency also encourages digital talent in critical, high-demand fields in Thailand, he said.
Mr Nuttapon said in order to transform Thailand into a "new paradise" of global tech and supply chains, improved incentives would be required as well as a one-stop ease of doing business ecosystem.
For example, he said Singapore and Malaysia teamed up to strengthen their capabilities to attract investment from global tech firms by offering benefits such as a flat 15% corporate income tax, compared with Thailand's rate of 17%.
In addition, Thailand's incentives should provide inducements that are able to better serve the global tech firms and talent ecosystem, along with educational and healthcare institutions that can support their family members and communities.
Thailand should seriously develop a single window for ease of doing business for foreigners through a platform that would unite all related data exchange among all state agencies as another effort to promote the digital-driven tourism scheme as well as global tech investment.
The single window could be in the form of a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) operated via a centralised data portal.
Government agencies offer incentives to foreign investors and tourists, such as visa and tax perks through the Board of Investment (BoI).
However, many concerns have been voiced through foreign startups and investors suggesting they have faced inconvenience when it comes to ease of doing business.
"The ease of doing business services of the country which will be centralised via the PaaS is needed to complement the country's digital tourism policy. Meanwhile, all related agencies and departments have to sincerely collaborate in connecting their application programming interface to the portal data," said Mr Nuttapon.
He said collaboration on platform development should include the Customs Department, Immigration Bureau, Revenue Department, Commerce Ministry, Industry Ministry, BoI and Thai Bankers' Association, with the Digital Government Development Agency at the centre of development.
