Base for car policy may widen

A Finance Ministry source said the first option was to expand the types of cars eligible for the scheme to cover all engine displacements while still limiting the price to Bt1 million. The other option is to set the engine-size limit at 1,600cc. Both options would cover imported cars.
The current scheme covers only locally produced passenger cars of up to 1,500cc engine capacity, as well as pickup trucks, costing no more than Bt1 million.
Last week US auto-maker Ford lobbied the government to raise the maximum engine displacement to 1.6 litres, claiming such a move would stimulate trade and benefit consumers.
The Finance Ministry is also expected to submit to Cabinet a plan to allow Government Housing Bank to offer loans for houses worth Bt2 million to Bt3 million, with zero interest for about one or two years of the mortgage. The government would have to subsidise this zero-interest rate. If the bank offers loans totalling Bt10 billion under the scheme, the subsidy is estimated to be Bt400 million.