Cabinet takes steps to ease cost of living, sets dates for visa-free scheme
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin set up a committee on Tuesday to oversee the implementation of his government’s much-publicised 10,000 baht digital wallet scheme.
The committee will be chaired by the premier himself in his capacity as finance minister, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said.
In the policy statement delivered to Parliament on September 11, the Pheu Thai-led coalition had stated that the 10,000 baht digital wallet handout would not be a burden on the country’s public debt and would adhere to stringent financial discipline.
The project will be initially funded under the budgetary framework, though details on the timeline and funding allocation for the scheme will be determined later, he added.
Srettha’s first visit to the Finance Ministry is scheduled for Thursday, where he will oversee the presentation of work policy to the chiefs of various government departments and state enterprises.
Separately, the Cabinet has also given the green light to paying civil servants twice a month from January 1 onwards. More details on this policy will be provided in due course.
The aim of this bi-monthly payment is to alleviate the financial burden on civil servants and reduce the need for loans, Srettha said.
The Cabinet also discussed measures to reduce the cost of living and stimulate the economy. Top on the agenda were measures like reducing the price of diesel to below 30 baht a litre from September 20 and granting free visas to China and Kazakhstan nationals. The visa-free policy is expected to kick in from September 25 to February 29 next year.
Srettha has also promised measures to provide debt relief to farmers and small businesses for a duration of three years.
In addition, the government has promised to reduce the cost of electricity from 4.45 baht to 4.10 baht per kilowatt-hour. The cut, though not as much as initially expected, will go into effect from the September billing cycle.
