Perhaps it is boring and repetitive to discuss double pricing. Yet new experiences have prompted me to revisit this thorny issue once again. Sad but true, double pricing occurs frequently in Thailand, and other parts of the world, and is either accepted or grudgingly tolerated by many people. To me, it probably depends on different cultures and regulations in each country or area.
About two years ago, a foreign reader cried foul over double pricing after reading my article and learning that admission fees to national parks are different for Thai nationals and foreigners. On the website, I explained to him that in Thailand it is widely known that admission fees to national and historical parks and museums for Thais and foreigners are different because Thais pay tax and that money goes to support these sites. This practice is also common in several other countries, especially developing nations, which give priority to their own citizens to visit national heritage sites at no or low costs.
Despite my explanation, he insisted the practice was unfair and claimed he should have paid the same rate as Thais because he was a resident who worked here and paid taxes to this country. Fortunately, a knight on a white horse came to my rescue: Another reader clarified that foreign residents who pay taxes to the Thai government are entitled to the same admission fees as Thais if they show their residential ID cards when buying tickets. That was a happy ending _ for that case only, however.
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