This study explored exemptions stipulated in the competition law in section 4 of Thailand’s Trade Competition Act B.E. 2560 (TCA) of 2017 and also the challenges in applying the TCA in certain sectors. The research highlights exemptions that were included in an earlier version of the TCA, passed in 1999, and that continue to apply in the 2017 version. The exemptions give various sectors more opportunities to ensure socioeconomic objectives, but they also contribute to challenges in applying competition law to anti-competitive conduct in essential business sectors, thereby impacting consumers in Thailand. The researchers first provide an introduction to the background of the study and then explore the general framework of competition law and the development of exemptions from it in Thailand, discuss the challenges posed by the exemptions that apply to certain economic sectors in Thailand, and compare Thailand’s exemptions with those found in the laws of Singapore, the European Union, Japan, and China. The researchers also provide a conclusion and recommendations for reforming competition law in Thailand in terms of the discussed exemptions.
World Competition