Thailand opens public consultation on a 1,000-baht air departure tax

Thailand's Revenue Department is consulting the public on a draft Departure Tax Act that would add 1,000 baht to every departure by air. The consultation runs from 30 September to 29 October 2026, and comments are collected through the government's legal consultation site, law.go.th. The measure is a proposal only. It has not been approved, and nothing changes at the airport today.

Under the draft, the charge would apply to travellers of all nationalities, including Thai citizens, foreign residents and visitors, and initially to air travel only. Land and sea departures are outside its scope. The amount could be adjusted by ministerial regulation, with a ceiling of 5,000 baht per departure. Airlines or their ticketing agents would collect it together with the fare. Tickets bought before the start date would be exempt, as would children aged two or younger and international transit passengers who stay in designated transit areas. If the bill is enacted, it would take effect 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette.

Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas has defended the plan. He says the aim is to keep more spending inside the country and to encourage domestic tourism, so that money circulates in local communities rather than leaving with overseas holidays.

The tourism industry has responded with concern about the total bill. On 9 October the Thai Hotels Association, led by its president Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, wrote to the director-general of the Revenue Department objecting to the principle of the draft. By the association's calculation, a foreign visitor could face up to 2,570 baht per trip: the 1,120-baht international passenger service charge at Airports of Thailand airports, in effect since 20 June 2026, plus the proposed 450-baht tourist fee and the proposed 1,000-baht departure tax. For a family of four that adds up to 10,280 baht. The association stresses that only the passenger service charge is collected today. It asks for the draft to be reconsidered, for a full impact assessment and revenue projections to be published, and for alternatives that place a lighter burden on travellers. The Association of Thai Travel Agents raised similar points on 7 October and asked how the extra revenue would be used.

For travellers, the practical point is timing and visibility. Even if the law passes, the tax would start about six months after publication in the Royal Gazette, and it would be collected with the fare when the ticket is bought. That makes it worth reading fare breakdowns carefully when booking flights for trips in 2027.

A debate like this shows how much travellers value knowing the full cost before they commit. It is the same idea behind how Balm Rentals presents vehicle rental in Thailand: the price, the deposit and the rental terms are shown before payment, in the traveller's own language, so there are no surprises at the counter. Balm is a single marketplace, available on iOS, Android and the web, that brings together licensed, verified local rental owners. It works alongside them and the wider industry, not in place of them.

A rental is only one line in a trip budget, but it is a line where clarity is easy to deliver. Whatever Thailand decides on the departure tax once the consultation closes, travellers who plan the fixed costs early (flights, charges, accommodation and transport on the ground) tend to have an easier trip. Balm's aim is to make the vehicle part of that planning simple and transparent, for visitors and for the local owners who serve them.