On 18 June 2024, Thailand’s Senate passed the act amending the Civil and Commercial Code (“Marriage Equality Law”), taking a historic step towards marriage equality and making Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to legally recognize same-sex marriage. The new law is currently awaiting royal endorsement and will come into force 120 days after publication in the Royal Gazette. Companies should start reconsidering their HR rules and policies in light of the Marriage Equality Law.
The personal income tax exemption amount on severance pay for terminated employees is now increased, following the publishing of the relevant Ministerial Regulations in the Royal Gazette. On 26 June 2024, the Ministerial Regulations, Volume 394 (B.E. 2567), (2024) under the Revenue Code Regarding Revenue Tax Exemption (“Ministerial Regulation”) was published in the Royal Gazette on 17 July 2024 and has already entered into force from that date. As a result, the personal income tax exemption amount on severance pay for terminated employees is now increased to the employee’s last 400 days’ wages or THB 600,000, whichever is less.
The Cabinet has recently approved in principle the Draft Ministerial Regulation under the Revenue Code Regarding Revenue Tax to increase the personal tax exemption amount on severance pay for terminated employees, aligning with the new maximum rate of severance pay. This change is intended to further ease the financial burden on terminated employees.
“Sustainability Solution EP.6: What is the “S” in ESG?” is presented by partners from our ESG and Labour and Employment teams, Nam-Ake Lekfuangfu and Theeranit Pongpanarat. In this episode, our team discusses what the social element means when we talk about the “S” in ESG and why it matters for businesses.
This episode is the latest installment in our YouTube series “Sustainability Solution”, which features regular update of key legal highlights on sustainability and ESG. This video is in Thai with English subtitles
Baker McKenzie’s Asia Pacific Employers’ Forum took place in Singapore on Thursday, 27 April 2023. You can access a number of related resources relating to employment issues and trends.
As part of the measures to help ease the impact of the rise in fuel prices, the Cabinet, on 29 March 2022, approved, in principle, the reduction of the contribution rate to the Social Security Fund. This new measure, once the regulations are issued, will reduce the monthly contribution rates of employers and employees from 5% to 1% of wage applicable for three months starting from May until July 2022, to help reduce the cost of living for employees and costs for employers through the SSF system.
With the COVID-19 restrictions beginning to ease in Thailand, along with many parts of the world, the question that comes to mind for most of us, and particularly for employers, is whether it is now the right time to return to the workplace.
Mental well-being is the foundation of a healthy life, which can be manifested in a number of ways, including the ability to cope with stress, productivity at work and participation in society in general. The importance of mental health cannot be undermined if an individual or organization is to thrive. Mental health well-being in the workplace has increasingly become a consideration for employers when it comes to ensuring long-term engagement and productivity among their workforce.
As Thailand is currently facing a substantial surge in COVID-19 infections, further relief measures have been approved by the Cabinet on 5 May 2021 to assist employees and employers affected by the recent COVID-19 outbreak
Further COVID-19 relief measures were announced this week by the government to provide financial support to employers and employees affected by the continued rise in COVID-19 infections, in addition to those that had already been put in place.