CEOs want the next government to cut power costs, stimulate economy: survey

The cost of energy was the top concern in the survey, which found that 77.8% of CEOs want the next government to lower oil and electricity prices, and about 70% want it to cut the fuel tariff on electricity from September to December.

The survey asked 427 CEOs at the national and provincial levels what they wanted the next government to do during its first 90 days in office.

FTI vice president Montree Mahaphruekpong released the results of the March survey on Wednesday.

He said 50.6% of the CEOs surveyed want the next government to set up a new joint public-private committee on energy to allow the private sector to participate in solving the issue of high energy prices.

A majority, 65.3%, want the next government to review and reduce import tariffs on imported raw materials as long as this does not harm local producers, Montree said.

The survey found that 58.3% of CEOs want the next government to reduce fees and red tape for customs clearance and want the government to promote the use of a national digital trade platform for imports and exports, he said.

More than half of respondents, 54.6%, called for the next government to draft a plan to handle supply-chain disruptions, especially for goods required by key industries, Montree said.

He said said 60% of the respondents want the next government to reduce manufacturing costs by reducing utility and other fees, while 59.5% want the next government to expand the criteria used to obtain tax privileges from the Board of Investment and add new ones.

Montree said 58.3% of respondents called for more economic stimulus measures, including increasing the purchasing power of consumers.

To address the labour shortage, 65.8% of the respondents want the next government to support a payment system based on skills and to improve labour welfare to reduce the cost of living for workers.

Montree said 65.1% of respondents want the next government to allocate a budget to increase labour efficiency and that 63% want it to make productivity a national agenda.

Combatting corruption was also high on the list. Montree said 74.7% of the respondents want the next government to fine tune regulations on government projects that they consider too restrictive, and to cancel the law they described as outdated.

He said 62.1% of the respondents want state agencies to use an electronic-bidding system to prevent collusion and 58.3% wanted the government to cancel the current approval system for bidders and replace it with one where business operators report how they have complied with the law.