BANGKOK, June 22 (NNN-Bernama) — In a bid to promote Thailand as a filming destination, the cabinet has approved a five-year personal income tax exemption for foreign film actors shooting in the kingdom.
Deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha on Tuesday approved the tax exemption.
She said Thailand collected an average of 3.5 billion baht annually from foreign crews filming in Thailand between 2017 and 2021.
“Thailand will lose about 71.75 million baht following the tax exemption for foreign film stars,” she said.
At present, Rachada said Thailand offers several financial incentives to promote foreign film shooting where the production house would receive a cash rebate of 15 to 25 per cent of the expenses incurred in Thailand, with limits capped at 75 million baht.
However, she said, in the past foreign actors were required to pay personal income tax from their earnings in Thailand, on top of the tax they have to pay in their country of origin.
This double taxation may discourage them from filming in Thailand, she said.
— NNN-BERNAMA
