Ministry ups headline inflation forecast: The continuing rise in energy prices which have raised production costs for manufacturers and the prices of goods has prompted the Commerce Ministry to upgrade the forecast for headline inflation in 2022 to a range of 5.5-6.5% (averaging 6%) from the 4-5% range (averaging 4.5%) projected in March. Bangkok Post
BMA to levy land taxes in full: Owners are turning to farms to pay less. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is planning to fully collect land and building taxes on land used for agricultural purposes after landlords and property owners allegedly exploited tax cuts to avoid higher taxes, a source said. Bangkok Post
Health Ministry will downgrade Covid from a “dangerous” communicable disease to one that “needs monitoring”, similar to influenza and dengue, starting from October, part of a plan to enter a normal endemic period.
Tourism authority mulls proposing tourist visa & VoA extension to 45 days/stay from current 30 days to Covid panel on Aug 19.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has entered into its first-ever MOU for a digital tech partnership with Huawei Tech (Thailand), in a bid to drive tourism via digital transformation and innovation.
Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) will go ahead with Fuel Tariff hike for electricity sales for month of September till December 22, while Cabinet will come up with measures to soften impacts on consumers.
Google Cloud to launch new regions in Malaysia & TH to enhance service in SEA and support key clients: AirAsia on establishment of AirAsia Super App to expand e-commerce, logistics & fintech ecosystem.
EEC gets nod for free trade zone on Airport City land: The cabinet yesterday approved the allocation of 1,032 rai of land in the Eastern Airport City project to create a free-trade zone within the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), in a move to attract investors and businesspeople. Speaking after the weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Prayut Chano-cha said the free-trade zone at Airport City will not be restricted by large numbers of laws and regulations, with waivers on customs tariffs and other import measures on offer. Bangkok Post
House meeting on organic bill collapses: A joint meeting of MPs and senators on an organic bill governing the elections of MPs collapsed yesterday due to a lack of quorum, increasing the chance of the draft law’s 180-day deadline expiring before it is endorsed. Bangkok Post
BOT raised policy rate by 25bps, to 0.75%, as expected, will continue to favor gradual moves, kept GDP forecast at 3.3% this year.
