Asking for some common sense

Why is the equipment to control this pollution not provided to the police by using a small part of the tax reduction on first-buy cars? The number of gas-guzzling cars in Thailand is astonishing. “The bigger the better” is the motto, to show off wealth. Why is there no policy to punish, via taxes, drivers of these unnecessary big cars, and to promote small cars through tax reductions? 

Why is the government stimulating alcohol consumption through its policy? A bottle of whisky, brandy or moonshine costs less than a bottle of wine but has up to four times the alcohol content. Why not a policy of taxes on hard liquors and diminishing tax on healthier drinks like wine (which will also save costs in the health sector)? Why can I buy imported wine for a price far cheaper than wines produced in Thailand? Don’t politicians see the benefits of consuming domestic wines (which, by the way, are excellent)? 

Talking with farmers, there are many complaints about the rice pledging scheme, since the farmers don’t receive Bt15,000 per tonne but far less, because the buyers use arguments such as “too dry, too wet, too much dirt” and so on. Why doesn’t the government use part of the money from this scheme to promote the use of high-yield rice plants? It is astonishing that rice yields in Thailand are far below average among Asian countries! In Africa, rice plants are developed using hardly any water. Before the Mekong is pumped dry, the government should research the use of these strains in certain parts of Thailand.

These are only a few of the “whys” this amazing country forces me to ask. And before someone says, “Why don’t you leave the country if you don’t like the policies”, I point out that I am a citizen of Thailand whose future is here. Our criticisms are an attempt to make this country a better place for all of us to live.

Egon Wout

Bangkok