The idea of having an independent tax body to enhance tax collection efficiency has been floated in Thailand in a bid to break away from the ineptitude of the existing bureaucratic red tape.
Greater tax revenue is also needed to meet the rising costs of the social safety net and healthcare as the country turns into a greying society, while narrowing wealth disparity -- a root cause of the nation's political polarisation -- and improving tax collection efficiency are also on the agenda.
The military-led government has put tax reform on the front burner, with the aim of creating a tax base that provides sustainable revenue for the country on a long-term basis and swells the state coffers to finance the hefty investments required for big-ticket infrastructure projects.
