Latest news with #JulapunAmornvivat
Bangkok Post
a day ago
- Business
- Bangkok Post
More tourism stimulus possible
The Finance Ministry may consider implementing tax measures to stimulate tourism during the low season, says Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat. He said the Finance Ministry held discussions with the Tourism and Sports Ministry on whether additional tourism stimulus measures are required, with the latter expressing interest in implementing further measures beyond the current "Tiew Thai Khon La Khrueng" (half-half) co-payment scheme. The government may want to rev up tourism stimulus to increase consumer spending, said Mr Julapun. "While the tourism industry is expected to perform well in the lead-up to the high season at year-end, the low season requires additional support and incentives," he said. Mr Julapun expressed confidence that the recent cabinet reshuffle would improve the tourism sector, especially in terms of tourist safety, which remains a major concern affecting confidence in Thailand as a travel destination. As for the co-payment scheme, the Tourism and Sports Ministry reported allocation of 500,000 entitlements as of July 11, with more than 400,000 of these entitlements still available. The Revenue Department previously issued tax incentives to support domestic tourism, particularly for travel to secondary cities during the low season. For individuals, personal income tax incentives ran from May 1 to Nov 30, 2024. The incentive applied to travel within 55 designated secondary tourist provinces. Individuals could deduct actual expenses for tour packages, hotel accommodation, resorts or homestays, up to a maximum of 15,000 baht. Only electronic tax invoices (e-tax invoices or e-receipts) were accepted for tax deduction purposes. For legal entities, corporate income tax incentives covered the same period in 2024. Companies could treat expenses incurred for organising domestic seminars, such as seminar room rental, accommodation, transport or related tour services, as deductible business expenses. The deduction could be twice the actual amount if the seminar was held in a secondary tourism province or another designated tourism area announced by the Revenue Department. A deduction of 1.5 times the actual expenses applied if the seminar was held in other provinces or if the location was not clearly classified. Documentation was required to be full-format e-tax invoices and e-receipts.
Asahi Shimbun
09-07-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Thailand's Cabinet withdraws a controversial bill to legalize casinos
A protester wears a headband "No Casino" during a protest in front of Government house in Bangkok on June 19. (AP Photo) BANGKOK--Thailand's Cabinet on Tuesday withdrew a controversial bill that aims to legalize casinos after the Prime Minister was suspended last week over an ethics investigation. Deputy Minister of Finance Julapun Amornvivat said the government only wants to delay the bill and will reintroduce it at an appropriate time. He cited the current political situation and the Cabinet reshuffle as a factor in the decision. The bill, also known as the 'entertainment complexes bill,' was first approved by the Cabinet in January and was awaiting review by lawmakers. If passed, it would allow casinos to operate within complexes that also house other businesses such as hotels, convention halls, malls or theme parks. The bill's withdrawal came after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended by the Constitutional Court last week after a phone call between her and a senior Cambodian leader was leaked, sparking fresh political turmoil. Paetongtarn is under an ethics investigation over accusations that she made comments that damaged Thailand's national interests to Cambodia's Senate President Hun Sen when the two discussed a recent border dispute last month. The ruling Pheu Thai Party has said the bill would help attract more investments, boost tourism and solve issues of illegal gambling. But it has faced strong opposition from the public and Pheu Thai's former coalition partner, Bhumjaithai Party, which quit the government last month over the leaked call. Julapun said the government needed more time to explain the benefits of the bill to the public, adding that the delay was regrettable. The Pheu Thai Party, which pledged to make the country's economic woes top of its agenda, stressed that casinos would be only a small part of a larger plan to boost tourism. Tourism is the main drive of the Thai economy and has always been the focus of the different administrations to improve the economy.
Nikkei Asia
09-07-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Thailand's Cabinet withdraws a controversial bill to legalize casinos
Thai Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat, second from right, speaks to the media at Government House in Bangkok on July 8. He called the delay in legalizing casinos regrettable. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) BANGKOK (AP) -- Thailand's Cabinet on Tuesday withdrew a controversial bill that aims to legalize casinos, moving after the prime minister was suspended last week over an ethics investigation. Deputy Minister of Finance Julapun Amornvivat said the government only wants to delay the bill and will reintroduce it at an appropriate time. He cited the current political situation and the Cabinet reshuffle as factors in the decision.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Man 'sucked into plane engine' - 9 stories from around the world today
The airport in the northern Italian city of Bergamo briefly suspended flights on Tuesday after a person reportedly ran onto the tarmac and was sucked into an engine. The Bergamo Milan airport authority said all flights were suspended at the Bergamo-Orio al Serio airport from 10.20am to noon local time "due to a problem that occurred on the taxiway". An investigation was underway. Local media, the Corriere della Sera newspaper, citing unnamed airport officials, said someone ran onto the tarmac as a plane was taking off and got sucked into the engine. The plane, an Airbus A319 of the Volotea airline, was flying from Orio to Asturias, Spain. There was no immediate response to calls placed to the authority's headquarters. Thailand's cabinet withdraws bill to legalise casinos The Cabinet has withdrawn a controversial Bill that aims to legalise casinos after the Prime Minister was suspended last week over an ethics investigation. Deputy minister of finance Julapun Amornvivat said the government only wants to delay the Bill and will reintroduce it at an appropriate time. He cited the current political situation and the Cabinet reshuffle as a factor in the decision. The Bill, also known as the "entertainment complexes Bill," was first approved by the Cabinet in January and was awaiting review by lawmakers. If passed, it would allow casinos to operate within complexes that also house other businesses such as hotels, convention halls, malls or theme parks. Man goes on trial over attempted assassination of Slovakia's PM A man has gone on trial over last year's attempted assassination of Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico. Juraj Cintula, who appeared in court in the central city of Banska Bystrica, has been indicted on terror charges. "Long live democracy, long live free culture," Cintula shouted as he arrived at the Specialised Criminal Court. The 72-year-old is accused of opening fire on Mr Fico on May 15 2024, as the PM greeted supporters following a government meeting in the town of Handlova, 85 miles north east of the capital Bratislava. Iranian government says 1,060 people died in war with Israel Iran's government has issued a new death toll for its war with Israel, saying at least 1,060 people were killed and warning that the figure could rise. Saeed Ohadi, the head of Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, gave the figure in an interview aired by Iranian state television on Monday. He warned the death toll may reach 1,100 given how severely some people were wounded. During the war, Iran downplayed the effects of Israel's 12-day bombardment of the country, which decimated its air defences, destroyed military sites and damaged its nuclear facilities. Since a ceasefire took hold, Iran slowly has been acknowledging the breadth of the destruction, though it still has not said how much military material it lost. Monsoon floods sweep away 18 people and the main bridge linking Nepal to China A mountain river flooded by monsoon rains swept away the main bridge connecting Nepal with China and 18 people were also swept away by the flooding on Tuesday, Nepali authorities said. Rescue efforts were underway as officials assessed the damage and searched for the missing people. An army helicopter was able to lift people stranded by the flooding. Police said 95 rescuers were already at the area and more are expected to join in rescue efforts. The flooding on the Bhotekoshi River destroyed the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadi, which is 75 miles north of the capital, Kathmandu, in the early hours of Tuesday. China extends visa-free entry to more than 70 countries Foreign tourists are trickling back to China after the country loosened its visa policy to unprecedented levels. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a big jump from previous regulations. The government has been steadily expanding visa-free entry in a bid to boost tourism, the economy and its soft power. More than 20 million foreign visitors entered without a visa in 2024 - almost one-third of the total and more than double from the previous year, according to the National Immigration Administration. While most tourist sites are still packed with far more domestic tourists than foreigners, travel companies and tour guides are now bracing for a bigger influx in anticipation of summer holiday goers coming to China. Colombia's president backtracks on accusations against us officials Colombian President Gustavo Petro attempted to ease tensions with the United States in June by sending a letter to president Donald Trump saying he did not intend to accuse US officials of trying to overthrow his government. The confidential letter, dated June 23, was leaked to Colombian media outlets on Monday. Relations between the two countries are at their worst since the 1990s, when the US stripped a Colombian president of his visa following allegations that his campaign was financed by drug traffickers. In the June 23 letter, Mr Petro appears to backtrack from comments made during a speech on June 11, where he accused secretary of state Marco Rubio of leading a plot to overthrow his government. Mr Petro had said in the speech that "a neighbouring president" had told him that Mr Rubio was leading a plot against him. Biden's former doctor asks to delay testimony to house panel Former president Joe Biden's physician has asked to delay his testimony before the House oversight committee this week, citing the need for an agreement that will respect doctor-patient confidentiality rules as part of the investigation into Mr Biden's health in office. Dr Kevin O'Connor, who served as Mr Biden's physician at the White House, requested a delay until the end of July or early August "to reach an accommodation that will protect the very substantial privilege and confidentiality interests of Dr O'Connor and former president Biden", according to a letter from his lawyer sent to Representative James Comer of Kentucky on Saturday. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter. A spokesperson for Oversight Republicans said the committee will follow the House's deposition guidelines, which allow for witnesses to assert privilege on a question-by-question basis, with the committee chair ruling on each claim. But Dr O'Connor is not allowed, in the committee's view, to delay or decline a congressional subpoena due to concerns over questions about potentially privileged information. Residents wear masks as volcanic ash blankets villages near erupting Indonesian volcano Residents wore masks to protect themselves from thick volcanic ash that blanketed roads and green rice fields in villages in south-central Indonesia as rumbling Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted on Tuesday for a second straight day. The eruption at dawn sent lava and clouds of ash up to four kilometres (2.4 miles) high. It follows an eruption around midday on Monday that sent a column of volcanic materials up to 18 kilometres (11 miles) into the sky and an evening burst that spewed lava and sent volcanic ash as high as 13 kilometres (eight miles) into the air. No casualties have been reported from the latest eruptions of the volcano that has been at the highest alert level since June 18 when its no-go zone was expanded to a seven-kilometre (4.3-mile) radius, said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman.]
The Herald Scotland
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Man 'sucked into plane engine' - 9 stories from around world
An investigation was underway. Local media, the Corriere della Sera newspaper, citing unnamed airport officials, said someone ran onto the tarmac as a plane was taking off and got sucked into the engine. The plane, an Airbus A319 of the Volotea airline, was flying from Orio to Asturias, Spain. There was no immediate response to calls placed to the authority's headquarters. Thailand's cabinet withdraws bill to legalise casinos The Cabinet has withdrawn a controversial Bill that aims to legalise casinos after the Prime Minister was suspended last week over an ethics investigation. Deputy minister of finance Julapun Amornvivat said the government only wants to delay the Bill and will reintroduce it at an appropriate time. He cited the current political situation and the Cabinet reshuffle as a factor in the decision. The Bill, also known as the "entertainment complexes Bill," was first approved by the Cabinet in January and was awaiting review by lawmakers. If passed, it would allow casinos to operate within complexes that also house other businesses such as hotels, convention halls, malls or theme parks. Man goes on trial over attempted assassination of Slovakia's PM A man has gone on trial over last year's attempted assassination of Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico. Juraj Cintula, who appeared in court in the central city of Banska Bystrica, has been indicted on terror charges. "Long live democracy, long live free culture," Cintula shouted as he arrived at the Specialised Criminal Court. The 72-year-old is accused of opening fire on Mr Fico on May 15 2024, as the PM greeted supporters following a government meeting in the town of Handlova, 85 miles north east of the capital Bratislava. Iranian government says 1,060 people died in war with Israel Iran's government has issued a new death toll for its war with Israel, saying at least 1,060 people were killed and warning that the figure could rise. Saeed Ohadi, the head of Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, gave the figure in an interview aired by Iranian state television on Monday. He warned the death toll may reach 1,100 given how severely some people were wounded. During the war, Iran downplayed the effects of Israel's 12-day bombardment of the country, which decimated its air defences, destroyed military sites and damaged its nuclear facilities. Since a ceasefire took hold, Iran slowly has been acknowledging the breadth of the destruction, though it still has not said how much military material it lost. Monsoon floods sweep away 18 people and the main bridge linking Nepal to China A mountain river flooded by monsoon rains swept away the main bridge connecting Nepal with China and 18 people were also swept away by the flooding on Tuesday, Nepali authorities said. Rescue efforts were underway as officials assessed the damage and searched for the missing people. An army helicopter was able to lift people stranded by the flooding. Police said 95 rescuers were already at the area and more are expected to join in rescue efforts. The flooding on the Bhotekoshi River destroyed the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadi, which is 75 miles north of the capital, Kathmandu, in the early hours of Tuesday. China extends visa-free entry to more than 70 countries Foreign tourists are trickling back to China after the country loosened its visa policy to unprecedented levels. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a big jump from previous regulations. The government has been steadily expanding visa-free entry in a bid to boost tourism, the economy and its soft power. More than 20 million foreign visitors entered without a visa in 2024 - almost one-third of the total and more than double from the previous year, according to the National Immigration Administration. While most tourist sites are still packed with far more domestic tourists than foreigners, travel companies and tour guides are now bracing for a bigger influx in anticipation of summer holiday goers coming to China. Colombia's president backtracks on accusations against us officials Colombian President Gustavo Petro attempted to ease tensions with the United States in June by sending a letter to president Donald Trump saying he did not intend to accuse US officials of trying to overthrow his government. The confidential letter, dated June 23, was leaked to Colombian media outlets on Monday. Relations between the two countries are at their worst since the 1990s, when the US stripped a Colombian president of his visa following allegations that his campaign was financed by drug traffickers. In the June 23 letter, Mr Petro appears to backtrack from comments made during a speech on June 11, where he accused secretary of state Marco Rubio of leading a plot to overthrow his government. Mr Petro had said in the speech that "a neighbouring president" had told him that Mr Rubio was leading a plot against him. Biden's former doctor asks to delay testimony to house panel Former president Joe Biden's physician has asked to delay his testimony before the House oversight committee this week, citing the need for an agreement that will respect doctor-patient confidentiality rules as part of the investigation into Mr Biden's health in office. Dr Kevin O'Connor, who served as Mr Biden's physician at the White House, requested a delay until the end of July or early August "to reach an accommodation that will protect the very substantial privilege and confidentiality interests of Dr O'Connor and former president Biden", according to a letter from his lawyer sent to Representative James Comer of Kentucky on Saturday. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter. A spokesperson for Oversight Republicans said the committee will follow the House's deposition guidelines, which allow for witnesses to assert privilege on a question-by-question basis, with the committee chair ruling on each claim. But Dr O'Connor is not allowed, in the committee's view, to delay or decline a congressional subpoena due to concerns over questions about potentially privileged information. Residents wear masks as volcanic ash blankets villages near erupting Indonesian volcano Residents wore masks to protect themselves from thick volcanic ash that blanketed roads and green rice fields in villages in south-central Indonesia as rumbling Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted on Tuesday for a second straight day. The eruption at dawn sent lava and clouds of ash up to four kilometres (2.4 miles) high. It follows an eruption around midday on Monday that sent a column of volcanic materials up to 18 kilometres (11 miles) into the sky and an evening burst that spewed lava and sent volcanic ash as high as 13 kilometres (eight miles) into the air. No casualties have been reported from the latest eruptions of the volcano that has been at the highest alert level since June 18 when its no-go zone was expanded to a seven-kilometre (4.3-mile) radius, said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman.]
