Thailand to tax influencers and online sellers

The Thai Revenue Department has urged social media influencers and online sellers to file their annual income tax by the end of March to avoid fines and penalties.

Director-General Pinsai Suraswadi expressed concern that many young earners, including e-commerce vendors, influencers, and product reviewers, have never filed income tax returns.

Thailand’s e-commerce platforms, such as Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok, host around 3 million online sellers, while an estimated 2 million full-time influencers and content creators generate billions in revenue. A recent survey found that many in this group, particularly younger individuals, fail to report their earnings or pay taxes.

Pinsai warned that the Revenue Department can audit records up to five years back and that failure to file tax documents will lead to penalties. However, he reassured earners that filing errors can be corrected.

A study by Tellscore, FutureTales LAB, and the Thailand Institute for Mental Health Sustainability (Tims) estimated that Thailand’s content creator industry contributes at least THB45 billion (US$1.25 billion) annually to the economy.

The country has around 2 million full-time content creators, rising to 9 million when part-time creators and “micro-influencers” are included.