The increase in vendor participants in Phuket follows only 96 vendors applying on the first day of registrations.
The poor turnout spurred an islandwide public relations blitz by officials to get local vendors to register.
The surge in registrations also follows local government agencies announcing through official notices the comment: “We confirm that no information will be sent to the Revenue Department.”
The official notices coincidentally featured images of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, indicating that the tax-free amnesty for Half-Half Plus registrants came from the prime minister himself.
Since then, 1,005 vendors in Mueang District have registered for the scheme, as have 468 vendors in Kathu and 553 in Thalang.
To facilitate access to the scheme, officials opened registration through the ‘Tung Ngern’ system, allowing merchants to sign up either online or in person at Krungthai Bank branches. However, most applicants have opted for online registration, citing its convenience and faster processing compared to in-person queues.
According to data from the Thalang District Office, Thalang saw a steady rise over several days ‒ 54 vendors joined on Oct 16, 111 on Oct 17 and 110 on Oct 18. Another 176 are currently completing online registration, the Thalang District Office said.
To boost awareness, local officials also launched the ‘Phuket 120 Days Nonstop’ outreach campaign to help small vendors join the co-payment programme.
Local officials, in cooperation with Krungthai Bank and local administrative organisations, have set up mobile registration points to increase accessibility across the island. The schedule includes Rawai and Karon areas (Oct 20-22), Mai Khao (Oct 24), Pa Khlok Municipality (Oct 27) and Kamala Child Development Center (Oct 28).
The Khon La Krueng Plus scheme provides a 50% government co-payment on purchases of eligible goods and services, helping ease living costs while boosting income for small businesses.
Krungthai Bank has reminded Pao Tang app users to update their app to the latest version before participating. Merchants changing personal details such as phone numbers should visit any Krungthai Bank branch to update their information.
Both new and existing merchants must have their documents verified by district offices before final submission to Krungthai Bank for approval. Once approved, the Khon La Krueng Plus menu will appear in the Tung Ngern app.
To qualify, merchants must be Thai nationals, operate verifiable small businesses with annual revenue under B1.8 million, and must not belong to any franchise or have been suspended from previous government schemes.
Nationally, Deputy Government Spokesperson Airin Phanrit announced that public registration for the “Khon La Krueng Plus” scheme will open today (Oct 20) via the Paotang app, available from 6am to 10pm daily until Oct 26.
Between Oct 15–17, a total of 123,960 merchants nationwide successfully registered, including 72,185 existing in the first phase and 51,775 new merchants, while another 98,064 are still in the document reviewing process.
Merchants can continue to register until Dec 19, and transactions under the scheme will officially begin on Oct 29. all claims through the scheme must be completed by Dec 31.
FAKES
The Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) also cautioned the public to beware of fake registration links circulating online and through text messages.
Registration is available only via the official ‘Paotang’ and ‘Tung Ngern’ apps, and no links will be sent by SMS.
Police recommend that users:
- Avoid clicking suspicious links from SMS or messages.
- Verify that social media pages are official and have verified marks.
- Never share personal details such as ID numbers, PINs, OTPs, or bank data.
- Do not trust phone calls claiming to be from officials or banks.
- Verify information with relevant agencies before sharing or acting.
Victims of online scams can report incidents at www.thaipoliceonline.go.th or call the 1441 hotline within 72 hours to suspend fraudulent accounts.