Thailand
Thailand: In rejig, 2020 tax forms allowed for We Win help
The Finance Ministry has allowed 2020 tax filing data to be used as eligibility criteria for receiving financial aid under the “Rao Chana” (We Win) scheme, catering to those wanting their eligibility to be reassessed.
Approved in January, the We Win scheme aims to provide 210 billion baht in financial handouts for 31 million people to alleviate hardships caused by the recent outbreak.
The key criteria for those receiving the 7,000-baht financial remedy for two months, with 1,000 baht disbursed per week, consists of being an informal worker without Social Security coverage and a taxable income of no more than 300,000 baht per year, or a monthly income not exceeding 25,000 baht, for the 2019 tax filing. Bank deposit accounts must not exceed 500,000 baht.
Registration for the We Win scheme started on Jan 29 and ends on Feb 12.
The Finance Ministry uses the 2019 tax filing data as the main reference point because the current tax database is not fully complete as the Revenue Department extended the 2020 tax filing deadline to June 30, 2021.
Kulaya Tantitemit, acting director- general of the Fiscal Policy Office, said those who registered for the We Win scheme but failed to meet the eligibility criteria can now seek reassessment online using their 2020 taxable income as a reference point.
Applicants must submit their 2020 personal income tax filing via the Revenue Department’s e-tax filing system within seven days, starting from the day of submitting an online eligibility reassessment, said Ms Kulaya.
The latest adjustment stems from public frustration that many people laid off from their jobs last year during the first wave of the pandemic might not be able to receive the financial assistance because their taxable incomes filed in 2019 exceeded 300,000 baht per year.
With a quota of 31 million people allowed to receive the We Win relief, 28.5 million have been approved, she said. Some 390,000 people are requesting a reassessment.
For those without internet or smartphone access, the Finance Ministry ordered Krungthai Bank branches assist the offline registration process for the We Win scheme. The ministry is providing smart cards for eligible registrants without smartphones to purchase goods under the We Win scheme.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2066167/in-rejig-2020-tax-forms-allowed-for-we-win-help