Supajee Leads Thai Team for US Tax Exemption Talks

Thansettakij•Economy•20d ago

Reader Briefing

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Supajee Suthamphanthai will lead a delegation to the US in late August 2026 to negotiate the Agreement of Reciprocal Trade.

•Supajee Suthamphanthai will lead the Thailand team to negotiate the Agreement of Reciprocal Trade (ART) with the US in late August 2026.
•Thailand is proposing an additional 13 export items for tax exemption.
•Approximately 72% of Thai products currently have tax exemptions, leaving 28% still subject to taxes.
•The government is discussing the details of the Thai Thiew Thai Plus project with Minister of Finance Ekniti Nitithandpraphas.

Overview

•On August 6, 2026, Supajee Suthamphanthai announced plans to travel to the US at the end of August 2026.
•Supajee Suthamphanthai and the Thailand team will negotiate the Agreement of Reciprocal Trade (ART) with the US, accompanied by a technical team for policy-level discussions.
•Supajee Suthamphanthai stated that trade policy negotiations alone are insufficient due to Thailand's trade surplus with the US, suggesting the use of private investment as a tool.
•Supajee Suthamphanthai noted that while over 2,000 items (including Section 232) are exempt, totaling about 72%, approximately 28% of products still pay taxes.
•Supajee Suthamphanthai is proposing 13 additional Thai export items for tax exemption.
•The Thai Thiew Thai Plus project is currently under detailed discussion regarding limited budget availability.
•Supajee Suthamphanthai discussed pushing the Thai Thiew Thai Plus project with Ekniti Nitithandpraphas to ensure benefits reach small and retail operators.

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Key Quotes

Supajee Suthamphanthai

"Negotiating trade policy alone may not be enough because Thailand has a significant trade surplus with the US. We must use other issues in negotiations, such as private investment or other areas where we can help."

การเจรจาเรื่องของนโยบายการค้าอย่างเดียวคงไม่พอ เพราะไทยได้ดุลการค้าสหรัฐฯ มากพอสมควร เราต้องใช้เรื่องอื่นในการเจรจาด้วย ทั้งเรื่องการลงทุนของเอกชน หรือเรื่องอื่นที่เราสามารถช่วยได้

Key Entities

Person

Supajee Suthamphanthai(ศุภจี สุธรรมพันธุ์)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce who leads negotiations with the US.

Ekniti Nitithandpraphas(เอกนิติ นิติทัณฑ์ประภาศ)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.

Place

United States(สหรัฐฯ)ℹ️

The country with which Thailand is negotiating trade and tax exemptions.

Law

Agreement of Reciprocal Trade

The trade agreement (ART) being negotiated between Thailand and the US.

Policy

Thai Thiew Thai Plus(ไทยเที่ยวไทย พลัส)

A project currently under discussion to benefit small and retail operators.

Organization

Ministry of Commerce(กระทรวงพาณิชย์)ℹ️

The ministry led by Supajee Suthamphanthai.

Ministry of Finance(กระทรวงการคลัง)ℹ️

The ministry led by Ekniti Nitithandpraphas.