Public debt rises to Bt5.98 tn in September
THAILAND’S public debt outstanding as of September 30 increased by Bt40 billion from the month before to Bt5.98 trillion, representing 42.73 per cent of gross domestic product, according to the Public Debt Management Office.
Of the total, Bt5.64 trillion was domestic debt (94.21 per cent of total public debt) and Bt346.43 billion was external debt (5.79 per cent of total public debt).
Theeraj Athanavanich, the office’s deputy director-general, said the total debt outstanding included Bt4.47 trillion of government debt, of which Bt994.794 billion was debt of non-financial state-owned enterprises, Bt500.05 billion was government-guaranteed financial SOEs’ debt, and Bt22.31 billion was debt held by other government agencies.
Compared with August, public debt increased by Bt39.05 billion, of which government debt outstanding was Bt4.47 trillion, increasing by Bt48.73 billion during September.
This change was contributed from budget deficit financing and debt management increasing by Bt50.12 billion.
The increase was mainly from a rise in budget deficit financing by Bt2.23 billion, followed by treasury bills by Bt20.40 billion and government bonds for restructuring T-bills by Bt27.48 billion.
Domestic and external debt to finance infrastructure investment increased by Bt2.45 billion. This resulted from an increase in on-lending debt by Bt1.42 billion to the Mass Rapid Transit Authority for the Blue, Green and Purple Line projects and an increase in on-lending debt by Bt1.037 billion to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) for its track-strengthening project, double-tracking the Chachoengsao-Klong 19-Kaeng Koi route, the Red Line mass-transit project and double-tracking the Jira Road-Khon Kaen route.
Theeraj said direct government debt repayments and interest payments were made in the amount of Bt12.40665 billion, resulting from repayments of restructuring SOEs’ external debt guaranteed by the Finance Ministry (Bt2.45 billion) and DPL project debt (Bt1.127 billion).
Interest payments (Bt8.79 billion) were on domestic debt totally. Debt and interest payments under the emergency decree authorising the Finance Ministry to secure loans for the Economic Restoration and Development Fund were made in the amount of Bt4.35 billion.
External debt increased by Bt757.98 billion because of changes in foreign-exchange rates.
Non-financial SOE debt was Bt994.79 billion, decreasing by Bt1.138 billion. This change was contributed from the Provincial Electricity Authority redeeming bonds in the amount of Bt820 million, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand redeeming bonds in the amount of Bt1 billion, and the National Housing Authority redeeming bonds in the amount of Bt1 billion.
Debts in the form of term loans decreased by Bt2.05 billion, made by Thai Airways International in the amount of Bt1.35 billion and the Expressway Authority of Thailand in the amount of Bt700 million.
The SRT incurred more debt than it repaid, resulting in an increase of debt in the amount of Bt2.17 billion. External debt increased by Bt1.48 billion because of changes in foreign-exchange rates.
Financial SOE debt (government guaranteed) was Bt500.05 billion, decreasing by Bt7.58 billion. This change resulted from debt repayment by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in the amount of Bt3.58 billion and by Government Housing Bank in the amount of Bt3 billion.
Other government agencies’ debt was Bt22.32 billion, decreasing by Bt958.51 million from debt repayment by the Office of the Cane and Sugar Fund of Bt1.1 billion.
