Excise tax collected on beer sales has risen about 3 to 4 per cent since the beginning of this month. The department will continue to closely monitor tax collections and, by the end of the month, a clear beer consumption trend should be revealed, he said.

The increase in beer consumption is likely to diminish when the World Cup ends next month. It appears to be a phenomenon similar to New Year and the Songkran festival, he said.

Persistent campaigning against smoking and drinking has resulted in an overall decline in consumption of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, leading to lower excise tax collections in the eight months ended May 31 compared to the same period the year prior, Uthid said. The economic slowdown may also have caused the drop in alcohol consumption.

The Thailand Tobacco Monopoly has reported a 20-per-cent drop in cigarette sales.

A survey of retailers of television sets and giftware related to the World Cup has found that the competition has not boosted sales much. This contrasts with sales of yellow T-shirts and pictures of His Majesty the King, as well as memorial coins and banknotes, which jumped significantly during the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of His Majesty's accession to the throne.

Many who ordered memorial coins from the Treasury Department have complained that they have not received the coins yet.

The Excise Department is expected to fall short of this fiscal year's tax collection target of Bt312 billion, by as much as Bt32 billion, Uthid said.

A reduction in fuel consumption in response to the rising price of oil was one reason for the lower excise tax collections.

Oil smuggling into Thailand has also diminished as the gap in retail oil prices between Thailand and Malaysia has shrunk and only small illegal traders are still active, Uthid said.

Wichit Chaitrong

The Nation