PPRP pension plan 4 times costlier than Pheu Thai digital transfer scheme: Somchai
The price tag of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP)'s allowance for elderly people alone will be four times higher than Pheu Thai's pledge for a one-time transfer of 10,000 baht to every Thai 16 years of age or older, the head of the Thai Liberal Party's strategic team, Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, said on Wednesday.
Pheu Thai's campaign pledge to transfer 10,000 baht into the digital wallets of 54 million Thais at least 16 years of age or older will cost 540 billion baht, Somchai wrote in a post on Facebook.
PPRP's plan to raise the monthly allowance for elderly people to 3,000 baht for those in their 60s, 4,000 for those in their 70s and 5,000 baht for those in their 80s will cost more than 2 trillion baht within four years, he said. Currently, pensions for the elderly range from 600 to 1,000 baht per month.
"One PPRP's policy will cost four times as much as a Pheu Thai's policy," he said.
The PPRP's plan to raise the monthly subsidy under the state-welfare card to 700 baht per month for 14 million people will cost 466.4 billion baht within four years or 116.6 billion baht annually. Currently, the subsidy ranges from 200 to 300 baht per month.
Somchai also listed his estimated price tags for other campaign pledges:
- The United Thai Nation Party's plan to raise the monthly subsidy under the state-welfare card to 1,000 baht per month for 14 million people will cost 672 billion baht within four years (168 billion baht annually).
- The Thai Liberal Party's plan to raise pensions to 3,000 baht per month for 8.3 million people 65 years of age or older will cost 1.19 trillion baht within four years (298.8 billion baht annually).
- The pledge by both Move Forward and Thai Sang Thai to raise the pension to 3,000 baht per month for 12 million people 60 years of age or older will cost 1.72 trillion baht within four years (432 billion baht annually).
