Caps on diesel, cooking gas, power to continue for now
The Cabinet has given the go-ahead to extend three subsidies in a bid to continue easing people’s financial burden, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Tuesday.
The measures are:
• Capping the retail price of diesel at 33 baht per litre
• Capping cooking gas at 423 baht per 15kg canister
• Capping electricity at 19.05 baht per unit for households using less than 300 units per month
Srettha said the first two subsidies will be financed by the Oil Fuel Fund, while the 1.8 billion baht funding needed for the last measure will come from the government’s central budget. However, he did not say how long the extension will last.
The premier said the central budget can also be used to fund the diesel and LPG subsidies if the Oil Fuel Fund becomes overburdened.
Commenting on the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s opposition to the policy of raising the daily minimum wage to 400 baht nationwide, Srettha said daily wages are a crucial foundation of economic development and directly related to people’s well-being.
“The minimum wage is currently at 340-350 baht per day, versus 300 baht daily 10 years ago. This is only about a 10% increase, while the cost of living has gone far beyond that,” Srettha said.
The Cabinet in April endorsed a tripartite committee’s decision to set the daily minimum wage at 400 baht for workers at hotels with four stars and above that employ at least 50 staff at 10 tourist-destination provinces.
The policy has been effective since April 13 in Bangkok, Krabi, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phang Nga, Phuket, Rayong, Songkhla and Surat Thani.
