Bangkok: "Community Liquor" has commenced following the enactment of the Community Liquor Act on June 6, 2025, opening doors for farmers and small entrepreneurs to enter the Thai economic landscape.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Sasikarn Wattanachan, the deputy government spokeswoman, disclosed that the Royal Gazette website published the Excise Tax Act (No. 2) B.E. 2025 on June 5, 2025, which took effect from June 6, 2025. This legislative advancement aims to foster legal community liquor production and expand economic opportunities for farmers, community enterprises, and small entrepreneurs throughout the nation.
The key element of this law is the amendment of Section 153 of the original Act, mandating that individuals wishing to produce liquor or possess distillation equipment must seek permission from the Director-General of the Excise Department and adhere to specified criteria, methods, and conditions as announced. The subsequent ministerial regulations are designed to support farmer groups, cooperatives, community enterprises, farmer organizations, or small entrepreneurs in applying for a liquor production license using domestically sourced agricultural raw materials. The liquor produced under this framework may possess color or smell.
Additionally, the law explicitly prohibits discriminatory criteria or unfair economic monopolies, except in cases involving foreign ownership or state enterprise liquor production aimed at promoting small entrepreneurs. In such scenarios, the license granted will be valid for three years from its issuance date.
"This amendment to the law aims to remove previous barriers that hindered new entrepreneurs, promote fair competition, and create grassroots economic opportunities, especially for local liquor, which is considered one of Thailand's soft power products with significant potential for economic and tourism development," stated the deputy spokesperson.
In this context, data from the Excise Department reveal that there are currently 2,119 operators within the excise tax system. In the fiscal year 2024, taxes collected from community liquor production amounted to over 1,200 million baht, indicating substantial and growing economic value.
"This initiative under the Community Liquor Act is part of the 'Strong Grassroots Economy, Strong SMEs, Strong Thailand' policy, aimed at providing small players a fair role in the economic system. Every step henceforth will be executed with transparency, openness, and non-discrimination to ensure equal access to opportunities for all groups," affirmed Ms. Sasikarn.