Summary · why it matters
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) has come out in support of the principle of restructuring the automotive excise tax, after the National Electric Vehicle Policy Committee, or EV board, approved the principle at a joint meeting with the government sector on 10 September, assigning the Excise Department to work out the details for submission to the Cabinet. Pimjai Leeswadnukul, president of the FTI, said the EV board meeting considered the principle of restructuring the automotive excise tax in order to use tax measures to drive real investment and domestic production, promote the use of local parts and raw materials, create fair competition, and push Thailand to become a global automotive production and export base. Data presented at the meeting showed that in the first seven months of 2026, BEV registrations totaled 126,950 units, up 88%, and xEV vehicles together accounted for 55% of all vehicle registrations. Meanwhile, the Board of Investment (BOI) has promoted investment in the electric vehicle industry and related businesses across 189 projects worth 151.372 billion baht, including plans to install 23,135 charging outlets and additional investment plans by domestic manufacturers totaling more than 50 billion baht. Pimjai said Thailand's automotive and parts industry across the entire supply chain generates more than 10% of GDP, involves more than 2,500 companies, and is linked to more than 800,000 jobs. Therefore, measures must be set to deliver concrete benefits that extend to parts makers, supporting industries, and SMEs. She added that the FTI is ready to act as an intermediary between the government, car manufacturers, parts makers, and related associations to gather information and proposals from the industrial sector so that measures can be formulated appropriately, clearly, and in a way that can actually be implemented.
