Govt cushion for rising cost of living ‘not enough’, survey finds
Many street vendors and taxi drivers said they are not satisfied with government measures aiming to cushion low-income earners from the impact of rising oil prices, a survey conducted by The Nation has learned.
The global price of crude oil has surged due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Those surveyed said they wanted the government to freeze the price of all necessities, not just cooking gas and NGV or LPG for taxis.
Street vendors told the reporters that they want the government to offer additional subsidies to low-income earners, while taxi drivers said the reduction of fuel prices was “too little”.
The government recently launched subsidies to help low-income earners for three months from May to July, including a discount on cooking gas and gas for vehicles.
Anusorn Thamajai, former dean of Rangsit University’s Economics Faculty, however, said three months was “too short” a period for the measures to make an actual difference. To have a palpable effect, he said, the measures should be extended for at least six months.
“The Russia-Ukraine war is expected to linger on, so immediate measures will only deal with the problem temporarily,” he said.
The academic also called on the government to update its database on people below the poverty line, so financial assistance goes to those who are actually affected.