Majority economists support Bt2.2tn borrowing bill
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Most economists endorsed the government's planned Bt2.2 trillion borrowing to finance infrastructure projects, but expressed concerns over corruption and public debt, according to a survey.
Bangkok University's poll, conducted during Oct 5-12, covered 67 economists at 30 institutions.
Forty eight per cent of polled economists endorsed the plan to introduce a borrowing bill, against 23.9 per cent of disapproval. Top of their recommendations is the government must ensure transparency of the spending, impose harsh actions against corruption and come up with an accountable monitoring system.
Of all, 94 per cent of the economists see the need for the borrowing, while 46.3 per cent consider that the government has insufficient fund to finance the investment. Yet, 79.1 per cent view that most of projects are not yet ready for implementation.
A majority of economists (68.6 per cent) also expressed concern on public debt.
