Cabinet waives tariffs on car seats

A technician demonstrates the use of car booster seats at the National Institute for Child and Family Development, Mahidol University, in Nakhon Pathom province, in May 2022. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)

The cabinet on Tuesday agreed to waive tariffs on child safety seats until the end of next year to allow more time to promote their use.

Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the 20% tariffs would be waived until Dec 31, 2023, to ease the financial burden on consumers because the Land Traffic Act would require child seats in vehicles from Sept 4 this year.

The waiver will become effective after it is published in the Royal Gazette. The spokesman did not mention the date of the publication.

Mr Thanakorn said most child seats available in the country were imported. Locally made ones were scarce because of insufficient demand.

The newly amended law requires children under six years old to be restrained in a car seat or a special seat for safety in a moving vehicle