Corporate Income Tax (CIT) is a direct tax levied on a juristic company or partnership which is established under Thai or foreign law and carries on business in Thailand or derive certain types of income from Thailand.     

The term "juristic company or partnership" (hereinafter called "company") means a limited company, a limited partnership or a registered ordinary partnership incorporated under Thai or foreign law as well as an association and a foundation engaged in business producing revenue. The term also includes any joint venture and any trading or profit-seeking activity carried on by a foreign government or its agency or by any other juristic body incorporated under a foreign law.

1.  Taxable Person       

Corporate income tax is levied on both Thai and foreign companies. A Thai company means a company incorporated under the law of Thailand. Thai company is subject to tax in Thailand on its worldwide net profit at the end of each accounting period (12 months).

A foreign company means a company incorporated under foreign law. Generally, a foreign company is treated as carrying on business in Thailand if it has an office, a branch or any other place of business in Thailand or has an employee, agent, representative or go-between for carrying on business in Thailand. A foreign company carrying on business in Thailand is subject to CIT only for net profit arising from or in consequence of business carried on in Thailand, at the end of each accounting period.

However, a foreign company engaged in international transport is subject to tax on its gross receipts. When a foreign company disposes its profit out of Thailand, such profit will be subject to tax on the sum disposed. Profit also means any sum set aside out of profits as well as any sum which may be regarded as profit.       

A foreign company, not carrying on business in Thailand but deriving certain types of income from Thailand, such as service fees, interests, dividends, rents, professional fees, is subject to corporate income tax on the gross amount received. It is collected in the form of withholding tax by which the payer of income shall deduct the tax from the income at the rate shown in 3 (Tax Rates).

 

2.  Tax Calculation        

In the calculation of CIT of a company carrying on business in Thailand, it is calculated from the company's net profit on the accrual basis. A company shall take into account all revenue arising from or in consequence of the business carried on in an accounting period and deducting therefrom all expenses in accordance with the condition prescribed by the Revenue Code.

As for dividend income, one-half of the dividends received by Thai companies from any other Thai companies may be excluded from the taxable income. However, the full amount may be excluded from taxable income if the recipient is a company listed in the Stock Exchange of Thailand or the recipient owns at least 25% of the distributing company's capital interest, provided that the distributing company does not own a direct or indirect capital interest in the recipient company.

The exclusion of dividends is applied only if the shares are acquired not less than 3 months before receiving the dividends and are not disposed of within 3 months after receiving the dividends         In calculating CIT, deductible expenses are as follows.

 

    1.    Ordinary and necessary expenses. However, the deductible amount of the following                      expenses is allowed at a special rate: -  200% deduction of Research and Development                 expense, -  150% deduction of job training expense, -  200% deduction of expenditure                 on the provision of equipment for the disabled;
    2.    Interest, except interest on capital reserves or funds of the company;
    3.    Taxes, except for Corporate Income Tax and Value Added Tax paid to the Thai                            government;
    4.    Net losses carried forward from the last five accounting periods;
    5.    Bad debts;
    6.    Wear and tear;
    7.    Donations of up to 2% of net profits;
    8.    Provident fund contributions;
    9.    Entertainment expenses up to 0.3% of gross receipt but not exceeding 10 million Baht;
    10.  Depreciation : Provided that in no case shall the deduction exceed the following                              percentage of cost as shown below. However, if a company adopts an accounting method,             which the depreciation rates vary from year to year, the company is allowed to do so                     provided that the number of years over which an asset depreciated shall not be less than             100 divided by the percentage prescribed below.

 (under construction)

 

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