Phase 5 of ‘Let’s Go Halves’ scheme okayed, cut to THB800 per person
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the fifth phase of the “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves) co-shopping subsidy scheme, which will run from September 1 to October 31.
Under the scheme, the government covers 50 per cent of bills for food and basic necessities when paid via the Pao Tang app at participating shops. The subsidy is capped at 150 baht per day at a total of 800 baht per person, down from 1,200 baht in the previous phase that ran from February to April this year.
The government expects 26.5 million people to register for the fifth phase, which will cost the country close to 21.2 billion baht. The scheme will be funded by what is left from the 500 billion baht borrowed by the Finance Ministry to tackle the Covid-19 crisis.
Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said earlier that the new phase will be carefully considered and adjusted to suit the current situation and available funds.
The fourth phase recorded the spending of 61.83 billion baht, of which 31.49 billion baht came from the 26.27 million registrants and 30.34 billion baht from the government.
The “Khon La Khrueng” scheme was introduced in October 2020 to stimulate spending after Covid-19 lockdowns hit the economy. The first phase capped the spending per person at 3,000 baht. Only Thai nationals aged 18 and above who are not holders of a state welfare card are eligible for the scheme.
