Alcohol tax hike overnight

Done with little notice to avoid hoarding

• Higher alcohol prices kick in midnight  Bangkok Post Sept 3
• Alcohol excise taxes raised asianews Sept 3

Cigarettes too

THB watch

• Plunge in the baht 'a short-term issue' thejakartapost

• ..rules out recession for Thai economy pattayamai
  

• 5 day plot US$ / THB  finance.yahoo

Money Jitters

Thai Baht reaches strongest since 1997
- Thailand Business News

I'm watching the exchange rate carefully.
How long will the climb continue, where will it stabilize

Genius Mathematician, please explain

I'm having some difficulty understanding Thai Math.

   

Image from Wikimedia Commons

 

       Bangkok post reports 

   ...projected 6% average   

     salary increase in 2013.   

Here's my math problem: Effective January 1, 2013, the minimum wage across Thailand will increase up to 60%, in some provinces it's a bit less.  Granted, many wage earners are making more than the minimum wage, but not all  ?? Is there some algebraic formula I'm missing here  ?? Speaking of the rise of the minimum wage:  It's going to be interesting to see what effect this will have on the cost of living in Thailand.  The minimum wage was raised earlier this year to 300 Baht in seven provinces.  About the same time food prices jumped drastically.  Most obvious to me were beef, pork, poultry, and fish prices.  Labor intensive !!