The Thai Revenue Department has warned social media influencers and online vendors to file their annual income tax documents by the end of this month to avoid hefty fines and penalties.
Director-general Pinsai Suraswadi recently said he was concerned about individual income earners who have never submitted their annual income filings, particularly young people just starting a career, e-commerce vendors, influencers and product reviewers.
In Thailand, platforms like Shopee, Lazada and TikTok are estimated to host around 3 million full-time and part-time online product sellers. As well, around 2 million full-time influencers and content creators collectively earn billions of baht, a recent survey has shown.
Mr Pinsai said reports in the past few years show that this group of earners, mostly the young generation, typically never file their income, let alone pay annual tax.
He encouraged every earner to file their income, saying that any error in the filing process can be fixed, but failure to submit any income documents at all will eventually be detected and penalised.
He added that electronic transactions leave digital footprints, making it easy for the department to track unreported income.
The department is urging individuals in digital business to comply, as retroactive tax collection can result in significant penalties.
According to him, the Revenue Department has the authority to audit records going back up to five years.
Those found to have evaded taxes will have to pay not only the owed amount but also penalties and interest, which can increase the liability fivefold, said the director-general.
Failure to comply with tax regulations carries civil and criminal penalties.
While the department primarily enforces civil penalties, fines can range from zero to two times the tax owed, with an additional monthly interest of 1.5%. If fully enforced, penalties can reach four times the original tax amount. Criminal charges are typically reserved for severe violations.
A recent study by Tellscore, in collaboration with FutureTales LAB and the Thailand Institute for Mental Health Sustainability (Tims), found that Thailand's content creator industry contributes at least 45 billion baht annually to the economy.
It said that Thailand has around 2 million full-time content creators, making them a critical part of the nation's workforce. If part-timers and "micro-influencers" are included, the figure rises to 9 million.