The Ministry of Commerce is to include car safety seats in their “product under watch” list to prevent profiteering, after the Land Traffic Act has made it mandatory for children under 6 and those whose height is 135cm or less to be placed in safety seats and secured with a seatbelt from September 5^th. Violators will face a fine up to 2,000 baht on conviction.

Inclusion on the “products under watch” list means officials monitor the prices and supply of the listed products on a bi-weekly basis.

The Customs Department is also considering cutting import tax on car safety seats, currently set at 20%. This will be proposed to the Finance Ministry.

Importers of such seats can, however, ask the Customs Department for waiver of import tax if they are being imported under a Free Trade Agreement.

Customs Department spokesperson Chaiyuth Kamkhun said earlier that the Customs Department will have to consult with the Federation of Thai Industries about the import tax cut on car safety seats, to ensure that local manufacturers will not be affected while consumers benefit from lower prices.

Some traders have, however, already increased prices of safety seats after the announcement that car seats are to be a legal requirement.