Tax-for-passports ruse
The cash-starved military regime has demanded that Myanmar expats submit tax clearance certificates when renewing their passports at Myanmar embassies.
Myanmar expats, who already pay income tax to governments of the countries where they are working, were told to pay 2 percent tax on their monthly incomes to the regime as of October.
The junta-controlled Myanmar embassy in Singapore announced on December 11 that it would not accept renewal applications unless applicants have paid the income tax. The Bangkok embassy issued the same message to expats in Thailand on December 13.
There are at least two million documented Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand. Their basic monthly income is 7,500 baht, meaning each will have to pay 150 baht per month – ensuring the junta will receive 300 million baht from expats in Thailand alone.
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