Diesel waiver extended
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The Cabinet has agreed to extend the waiver of the excise tax on diesel for one month from May 1-31.
Deputy government spokeswoman Sunisa Lertpakawat said that the tax waiver would proceed after endorsement by the Election Commission.
The Finance Ministry had suggested allowing the waiver to expire on April 30, but the price of diesel is still high, and raising its price would burden people with a higher cost of living.
Thailand is consuming about 50 million of diesel per day and several diesel-driven truck owners have used their personal vehicles for commercial purposes.
Meanwhile, the EC today allowed the government to extend the free train and bus services.
The EC's approvement is necessary as Thailand is hosting the new election. Any financial policy may be considered a vote-buying effort.
The diesel excise tax has been waived since 2011, costing Bt5 per litre or about Bt7.5 billion a month.
