Department eyes On 111 Items Of Soft Drink

BANGKOK : -- The Excise Department is ready to collect excise tax on green tea drinks if the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) agrees.

Director-general of the department Mr Somchai Poolsavadi said collection of excise tax on green tea and coffee drinks is the proposal of the Fiscal Policy Office and also is in the roadmap of the Finance Ministry proposed to the NCPO for approval under its reform plan.

He said if the proposal receives approval, the department is then ready to act immediately.

He added the Excise Department officials have recently asked business operators about the excise tax collection and they all voiced agreement to the collection.

Mr Somchai said the Excise Department is also monitoring  111 items of drinks which are exempted from excise tax to see whether these drinks will contribute to promoting farmers or not and are not harmful to health.

Excise officials have also been ordered to closely and strictly check new soft drink plants  if they meet industrial standards, and are licensed by  the Food and Drug Administration or not.

Also they were ordered to check if any chilled soft drinks  in fridges are not licensed for sales.