Thailand's government is getting serious about cutting red tape. The Ministry of Commerce said it would review more than 40 laws related to business, trade, and investment to remove unnecessary barriers and boost national competitiveness.

The announcement came just days before Thailand achieved a ranking of 35^th in the world for digital competitiveness by the Institute for Management Development (IMD), a rise of five places since the last assessment.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has instructed all agencies within the Commerce Ministry to proceed with amending the laws under the ministry's responsibility, the Bangkok Post reported.

The review and subsequent legal changes will be aimed at facilitating business, simplifying processes, and increasing government efficiency. Keerati Rushchano, Permanent Secretary for Commerce, said the goal will be to facilitate convenience for the public and the private sector in conducting business and other activities.

He said the first four laws the ministry would tackle are the Copyright Act, the Geographical Indication (GI) Act, the Thai National Shippers' Council Act, and the Export and Import of Goods Act.

Prime Minister Srettha has made increasing competitiveness and ease of doing business priorities for his administration. The Kingdom is ranked number 30 in the world in the global competitiveness index published by the IMD. The institute ranked the Kingdom's economic performance at 16^th in the world, its efficient government at 24^th, and its focus on business efficiency at 23^rd.

Permanent Secretary Keerati said the first 31 laws to be amended would be completed in 100 days. Following that, the remaining laws would be revised over a 6 to 18-month period.

Source: Royal Thai Embassy, Washington D.C.