According to Mon youths abroad, the military council has frequently issued statements urging Myanmar workers abroad to pay income tax regularly, and Myanmar embassies are now exerting pressure to enforce this.
A Mon youth in Singapore reports that embassy officials check whether official remittances have been made to family members when renewing passports or dealing with embassy matters. They also threaten to ban workers from re-entering the country if they cannot show income tax slips.
“If we don’t pay 25 percent tax, they won’t renew our passports. They have said that they’ll restrict re-entry. Due to the current political situation, we haven’t paid yet. But they’re the government, so we can’t avoid it. Also, they won’t let us leave if we can’t show the 25 percent tax slip. So it looks like we’ll have to pay,” he said.
Since June, the military junta has been requesting documentation from labor recruitment agencies about remittances sent by Myanmar workers to their families. They’re putting particular pressure on the workers to make official remittances to their families.
Another youth from Mon abroad reports that some are paying income tax for fear of being denied re-entry and renewing their passports.
“A youth from La Maing town paid tax for fear of being banned from re-entering the country. The embassy charges 8 Singapore dollars per month, which is levied for six months in advance. It’s for six months before tax was paid. After that, 25 percent of monthly income must be officially remitted to family members every month or every three months. They say that non-compliance will result in a three-year ban from working abroad,” explained another worker.
The junta instructed workers abroad to remit 25 percent of their salary to their families and pay 2 percent in taxes in 2023. It recently repeated this announcement.
Following the implementation of the conscription law and the formation of conscription summoning bodies at various levels, many young people have fled abroad, mainly to nearby countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, as well as European countries.
After the coup, the military junta, facing a financial crisis due to widespread conflict and economic decline, increased various taxes.
Sent by IMNA.