BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand is reworking its proposed Digital Platform Economy Act after Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said the original approach, modeled on European Union regulations, was too strict for Thailand. Chaichanok said the ministry has instructed officials to slow down and revise the draft while continuing discussions with other agencies, including the Finance and Commerce ministries. “We are still working on the platform law. It has not stopped,” Chaichanok said, adding that Thailand needed to find an approach that was appropriate for its own circumstances.
The minister said the EU itself was adjusting its regulatory framework, making it necessary for Thailand to reassess the approach rather than directly adopting the European model. The ministry had previously planned to complete the draft before sending it to the Council of State for legal review, followed by consideration by the Cabinet and Parliament.
The government had previously targeted September 2026 for the bill to reach the House of Representatives, although the revised timetable will depend on the outcome of the ongoing review.
Chaichanok has also indicated that the government is reconsidering how platform fees, including gross payment (GP) charges, should be assessed, with a broader Total Take Rate approach among the possible regulatory options. The aim is to create a framework that protects businesses and consumers while avoiding regulations considered unnecessarily restrictive for Thailand’s digital economy. (Story and Photo: MGR Online)
