Thursday, December 20, 2007

Just When I Thought I Had Heard of Everything...

My HR Manager came to me today with a request for $500 for the local 'sign tax'.





I didn't believe what I had heard, but sure enough there is a local sign tax in Thailand. For any signs visible outside your operation the yearly tax is:

- 5 cents per sq ft for signs that are 100% Thai
- 40 cents per sq ft for signs that are a mix of Thai and a foreign language
and
- 60 cents per sq ft for signs that are 100% in a foreign language

The money goes to help build and improve roads (that lead to the land of govt officials, I imagine).

But why signs??? Why not the size of your roof or the number of pets you have? Here's the answer I was given. If you have a big sign, it means you should have a large profit and therefore, can afford to improve the land value for your local councilman. By the way, we're not paying. Hope I don't get arrested.

P.S. In case you're wondering why the name of my company is Trim International - Initially, my company produced leather seats for cars and Trim is the technical term for automotive seating, I think.

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