At a glance

Oil and gas conglomerate PTT is expected to propose to the board of directors in April the names of potential partners to jointly set up a budget hotel.
Jiraphon Kawswat, PTT senior executive vice president, oil business unit, said that the company is still seeking potential partners to create a budget hotel business. Once it has finished shortlisting the prospect partners, it will propose only one name for the board’s consideration.
Five local and foreign companies have so far proposed models for a budget hotel business to PTT, she added.
PTT has aimed to open at least five budget hotels by the end of this year. It had previously expected to finish the partner selection process by the end of last year.

REPLACING CASH
KTB to act as tax agents for submitting eforms 

Krungthai Bank (KTB) has partnered with four leading oil companies – PTT, Bangchak, Esso and PT – to provide the ewithholding tax service for the state agencies, which use its KTB fleet cards.
As part of the partnership, the bank will act as agent for these four companies. KTB would automatically submit to the Revenue Department the ewithholding tax and tax remittance forms for revenue gained from officials of the state agencies’ use of KTB fleet cards. The officials use the cards to fill up their tanks at stations nationwide. This ewithholding tax service is already available.
Any government agencies or state enterprises can now appoint KTB as their agent for this service.
KTB has provided KTB fleet cards to government agencies for use in purchasing fuel in place of cash, coupons, or oil vouchers.
In related news, the bank recently launched an edonation service to allow people to make edonations at temples by scanning its QR code at the donations points, where they can also request an ereceipt for a tax refund. The bank said it would continue to launch additional electronic services in its efforts to become the leader in the digital banking domain.

UNSECURED DEBENTURES
Ananda ratings affirmed by TRIS

TRIS Rating affirms the company rating of Ananda Development PLC (ANAN) and the ratings of ANAN’s existing senior unsecured debentures at “BBB”, and also affirms the ratings of ANAN’s unsecured subordinated perpetual debentures (hybrid debentures) at “BB+”. 
At the same time, TRIS Rating assigns the rating of “BBB” to ANAN’s proposed issue of up to Bt3,500 million in senior unsecured debentures. The proceeds from the new debentures will be used to refinance existing debentures maturing in May 2018 and for business operation. 

10-YEAR RECORD
Homali exports to HK above 200,000 tonnes 

Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong has said that the export of Thailand’s Homali rice to Hong Kong last year reached 206,153 tonnes, up 101.8 per cent from the previous year and exceeded 200,000 tonnes for the first time in 10 years, according to the Thai Trade Centre in Hong Kong. 
The last time the Homali rice exports from Thailand to Hong Kong exceeded 200,000 tonnes was in 2007, when it reached 202,858 tonnes
Hong Kong is Thailand’s third most important market after the US and China. Thailand exported Bt42 billion worth of Homali rice to the world’s market last year, of which the US accounted for 28 per cent, China 15 per cent, Hong Kong 11 per cent, Iran 6 per cent, and Canada 5 per cent.