Thailand's Income Tax Base Skewed as Top 0.2% Pay Over One‑Quarter of Revenue

Government data for the 2024 tax year show that only about 41 % of the 12.57 million personal income‑tax filings in Thailand were from taxpayers actually liable to pay. Roughly 59 % of filers earned below the 150,000‑baht exemption threshold and paid no tax.

A tiny elite of 30,000 high‑income earners – just 0.2 % of filers – contributed 25.7 % of total income‑tax receipts, while the top 1 % accounted for half of all revenue. The total personal income‑tax collection was around 278 billion baht, offset by refunds of about 47 billion baht. The concentration of tax burden on a narrow high‑income segment highlights a structural weakness in Thailand’s fiscal base and has prompted calls for tax‑system reforms to broaden the revenue pool and ensure sustainable budgeting.