Govt plans flat 1,000 baht allowance for all seniors

The government is pushing to raise the monthly allowance for all citizens aged over 60 to 1,000 baht per month, secretary to the prime minister Somkid Cheukong said on Friday.

Currently, the senior allowance increases according to age – 600 baht for those aged 60-69, 700 baht for 70-79, 800 baht for 80-89, and 1,000 baht for those over 90.

Somkid also denied claims by opposition MPs that the government had rejected three draft bills aimed at increasing subsidies and benefits for senior citizens.

“In reality, these bills are all about finance and are based on election promises,” he said. “The government forwarded them to relevant agencies, which ruled that they are unachievable.”

Somkid gave as an example the public pension scheme draft bill, which promised 3,000 baht per month for all retirees, saying this would require a budget of 400 billion baht-plus, which the government cannot afford.

“The fact that these bills were not approved is not a political move by the government, as we are also working on policies that will increase benefits for senior citizens,” Somkid said.

The Social Development and Human Security Ministry had approved the policy for a flat monthly senior allowance of 1,000 baht per month, he added.

Somkid said related draft bills by the Pheu Thai Party were also rejected by agencies as unachievable or contradicting existing laws and regulations.

“Besides these agencies, we also need to heed recommendations from the National Economic and Social Development Council and the Council of State regarding legal compliance,” he explained.