Thai actress Cherman “Ploy” Boonyasak may find herself behind bars if accusations of tax fraud against her are proven true.
Revenue Department director-general Sathit Rankasiri said under the law, Ploy could face jail time of between three months and seven years and be meted a fine from TBH2,000 and TBH200,000.
The actress made a tearful public apology on Wednesday and blamed the mistake on her accountant, but hasn’t seem to have won many supporters on social media.
According to reports, the actress paid only 3% of the regulated 5% withholding tax for projects when she appeared in an event sponsored by Absolute For You. The actress also allegedly used a different identity to pay for her taxes – that of a 77-year-old man named Mr Taweesak.
The Tax official maintains that Ploy will face stiff punishment if these allegations indeed happened. The actress for her part, is denying these accusations and maintains that she has always been diligent in paying her taxes.
The issue stemmed from the much-publicized argument between Ploy and the event-organizing company, Absolute For You. The actress claimed that the company did not pay her in full for her appearance fees. This prompted company executive Kanrapee Wilaiporn to disclose the irregularities of Ploy’s tax paying methods to the media.
Mr Sathit noted however that the event organizing company is not without fault and that they will also be punished for conspiring with Cherman in committing tax fraud, the Bangkok Post reported.
