Revenue Statistics in Asia and the Pacific 2022 provides harmonised data on tax revenues for 28 economies in the region, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan for the first time. The report reveals that the average tax-to-GDP ratio in the Asia-Pacific region was lower than the averages for the OECD and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Between 2019 and 2020, tax-to-GDP ratios fell in 19 of the 26 economies for which 2020 data are available. to 33.5% between 2019 and 2020 while the average tax-to-GDP ratio in the LAC region declined by -0.8 p.p. On average, taxes on goods and services accounted for 50.6% of total tax revenues in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020.

'Mor Prom' app gets big upgradeThe Ministry of Public Health is working with the private sector to transform the Mor Prom app into a new standalone digital health platform. Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said the ministry has joined hands with state organisations and the private sector, including Kasikornbank, Internet Thailand PCL, SCG Logistics Management Co, for the project which will see a total of 12 new features added to enhance access to health services. The app will connect directly with health clinics and offer its 32 million users a larger choice of services than previously, said Dr Sophon Mekthon, assistant to the public health minister. Six of 12 features have already been rolled out and more are upcoming. It is expected that all the features in the app will be functional by August and those to be incorporated into the official Line account from September.

Dr Jakrat Phittayawong-anon, chief of the Department of Disease Control (DDC)’s Epidemiology Bureau, said on Monday that DDC’s Communicable Disease Committee believes the current alert level is fine as the country’s public health system can handle the spread of the disease. “As per the 2015 Communicable Disease Act, a dangerous communicable disease is defined as one that causes severe symptoms and can be transmitted easily over a short period. Monkeypox does not fit this description yet,” Jakrat said. “For patients, DDC is coordinating with the Department of Medical Services to issue a standard treatment plan for monkeypox to be followed by all medical units. It is also getting a plan ready in case more patients are found in the country.”The committee also agreed to upgrade emergency operation centres nationwide to make surveillance and screening of high-risk groups more efficient.

NACC viewing 'bribe money to MPs proof'Graftbusters are analysing the screenshot of a Line mobile app chat log that reportedly proved that some MPs from smaller parties received monthly allowances from the government over the past three years, according to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). NACC secretary-general Niwatchai Kasemmongkol on Monday said the commission has already acknowledged the submission of the screenshot. "The NACC is closely monitoring and if the evidence is proven [authentic], it can assign a committee to examine the case," Mr Niwatchai said. Mr Niwatchai said according to Section 128 of the NACC law, MPs or government officials cannot receive benefits worth more than 3,000 baht. Earlier, Mr Srisuwan on Facebook said he has collected evidence of MPs receiving bribes and is ready to hand it over to the NACC in Nonthaburi today.

Contraband ganja seized on Mekong bankThe 200 kilogrammes of dried marijuana seized in Nakhon Phanom's Tha Uthen district on Sunday night, on display in front of Border Patrol Police Company 237 headquarters. (Photo: Pattanapong Sripiachai)NAKHON PHANOM: Border patrol police seized about 200 kilogrammes of contraband marijuana from the Mekong river bank and arrested a man allegedly looking to pick it up, in Tha Uthen district late on Sunday night. Pol Col Chalermchai Srithong, commander of Border Patrol Police Company 237, said a BPP team on patrol along the Mekong river found five sacks containing altogether 200 slabs of dried marijuana, each of 1kg, on the bank near Moo 7 village in tambon Chaiburi. They also arrested Chirawut Sastrachai, 22, of Tha Uthen district. In this case, he would be charged only with violating the Customs Act, the Plant Breeding Act and the Plant Quarantine Act, Pol Col Chalermchai said.

The SEC said it had also instructed Zipmex Thailand to provide efficient and adequate channels for its customers to file complaints. The SEC itself wants to make it more convenient for customers of Zipmex Thailand so it has provide an online filling form as well, it said. The form requires Zipmex Thailand users to fill in their names, citizen or passport ID, phone number or email address, and types and amount of damage.

Doctors want immediate suspension of cannabis decriminalisationPrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, right, listens to a presentation on the medical use of cannabis at Government House last month. (Photo: Government House)More than 800 doctors from Ramathibodi Hospital have called for the immediate suspension of the policy of decriminalisation of cannabis pending implementation of adequate controls to protect the young. He posted on his Facebook account that 851 doctors, lecturers and alumni of the faculty of medicine Ramathibodi Hospital at Mahidol University had issued a statement seeking the immediate suspension of cannabis decriminalisation. The situation was different from the government’s intention to increase people’s access to the medical use of cannabis. The doctors urged the government to immediately suspend the policy until laws were in place to protect young people from cannabis abuse and ensure proper use of cannabis, to minimise its impact on the general public.

Boxer dies from brain injury week after matchPanphet Phadungchai, a Thai boxer who suffered a serious brain injury following a knock-out loss to a French boxer at Thupatemi Air Force boxing stadium on July 15, has died, his wife said on Facebook. Panphet: KO'd by elbow to jawIn the last of the five-round fight between Panphet, whose real name is Sarayuth Klinming, and Anthony TFC, with just 1.18 minutes to go, the French boxer swung his elbow and hit Panphet in the jaw, causing him to lose consciousness. Panphet was taken to B Care Hospital on Phahon Yothin Road, where doctors found he had suffered a serious brain injury. Despite attempts to save his life, he succumbed to the injury on Saturday night.

Nigerian monkeypox patient can stay in Cambodia, says AnutinThe symptoms on the face of the Nigerian monkeypox patient are displayed on a slide during a media briefing in Phuket on Friday. (Photo: Achadtaya Chuenniran)Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has indicated there are no plans for Thailand to seek the return of the Nigerian monkeypox patient from Cambodia. Mr Anutin said on Sunday he expected the patient to receive treatment in Cambodia. The 27-year-old Nigerian, whose name is still withheld by Thai authorities, left Phuket before two lab tests conducted on Monday and Tuesday confirmed the country's first monkeypox case. Health officials were waiting for lab tests from 17 of them, while tests on two people were negative, he added.

Financial impacts felt by even the wealthiest of ThaisAmongst mass affluent banking customers in Thailand, 63 per cent experienced a decrease in income due to the pandemic, 7 per cent less than the wider retail banking market in Thailand. Many (41 per cent) of the country's mass affluent deferred loan repayments, as a result, 6 per cent lower than Thailand's retail banking customers, overall. This disruption to income has left 37 per cent of affluent Thais saying they intend to reduce spending, just as half of Thailand's retail banking customers plan to do. In Thailand, the mass affluent are just about as likely to increase their borrowing as retail banking customers (11 and 12 per cent respectively). Just about 3 in 4 of Thailand's retail banking customers will either increase or maintain their savings (73 per cent).

Here’s a comparison of the vote in Parliament and the public vote:

Rise in Covid deaths, severe casesPeople queue to get vaccinated at the Thai-Japanese Youth Centre in Din Daeng district of Bangkok on Thursday. The new numbers compared with 2,578 new cases and 29 coronavirus-related fatalities reported on Saturday morning. On Saturday, 2,358 Covid-19 patients were discharged from treatment facilities after recovering from the coronavirus. Since the pandemic started in early 2020, there have been 4,575,853 Covid-19 cases, including 2,352,418 cases this year, with 4,519,994 complete recoveries to date. Global Covid-19 cases rose by 1704,813 in 24 hours to 574.54 million.

A truck is seen at a grain terminal during the barley harvest in the Odesa region of Ukraine. (Reuters File Photo)KYIV: Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Saturday, in what Kyiv called a “spit in the face” of a day-old deal between the warring sides to resume grain exports blocked by the conflict. The Ukrainian military said its air defences had shot down two cruise missiles but two more hit the port, threatening the landmark agreement that was reached after months of negotiations aimed at relieving a global food crisis. The agreement includes points on running Ukrainian grain ships along safe corridors that avoid known mines in the Black Sea. On Friday, the United States signed off on another $270 million in military aid to Ukraine, including rocket systems, artillery ammunition and armoured command posts.

Kasikorn Research Centre recently lowered its 2022 growth forecast for future food – non-meat protein products made from plants, algae, nuts, insects and fungi – from 7 per cent to 5.1 per cent year on year, with total market value at 4.1 billion baht. “Although alternative protein or future food is enjoying market expansion fuelled by eco- and health-conscious consumers and increasing sales channels, its expansion is still limited, especially among consumers with low to medium income who are suffering from reduced purchasing power,” KResearch said. The centre said the current economic climate would make it harder for future-food manufacturers to expand their customer base and increase sales. “Food products are responsible for 36 per cent of Thai household expenditure and are therefore affected by the economic crisis in which the cost of living and inflation are rising, while people’s purchasing power is weakening,” KResearch said.

(AFP Photo)BEIJING: The embattled Chinese real estate giant Evergrande has ousted its CEO and chief financial officer after an internal investigation into why banks seized over US$2 billion from its property services arm. The executives were forced to step down on Friday following an internal investigation into why banks unexpectedly seized 13.4 billion yuan ($2 billion) in deposits from Evergrande Property Services. Once a leading light in China’s real estate sector, Evergrande has in recent months scrambled to offload assets, with chairman Hui Ka Yan paying off some of its debts using his own personal wealth. Evergrande’s woes have had knock-on effects throughout China’s property sector, with some smaller firms also defaulting on loans and others struggling to find enough cash. Long heavily dependent on loans to finance their massive developments, China’s real estate firms have found themselves in trouble as a push by Beijing to rein in indebtedness has cut cash flows.