Digital wallet scheme will proceed, but with tweaks, says Julapun
The government plans to address opposition concerns and may adjust distribution methods, potentially reducing an impact on the economy
Caretaker Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said the 450-billion-baht digital wallet scheme will go ahead though its amendments may make it less effective in creating an economic storm.
Julapun, who is retaining his post in Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s Cabinet, was speaking to reporters over criticism of the opposition People’s Party (PP) during the second reading of the 2025 budget bill on Tuesday.
The new Cabinet list was published in the Royal Gazette on Wednesday, but the new ministers have yet to be sworn in.
During the Parliamentary debate on Tuesday, PP MPs accused the government of being unclear on how the digital wallet scheme will be financed.
Julapun said the government will heed the opposition’s opinions and the premier will definitely improve the details to ensure the project is more secure and efficient. He added that part of the 10,000-baht stimulus may be distributed as cash.
“The final method will have yet to be discussed by coalition partners,” he added.
Earlier, coalition leader Pheu Thai Party’s patriarch Thaksin Shinawatra said the first part of the scheme, which will be financed by the fiscal 2024 budget, will distributed as cash to registered people who hold state welfare cards.
Julapun admitted that since the method of distributing the 10,000-baht scheme will have to be changed, its impact on reviving the economy may not be as impactful as initially intended.
The second reading of the fiscal 2025 budget bill continued on Wednesday after it was studied article by article on Tuesday by several ministries, including the PM’s Office, Defence, Finance, Foreign and Social Development and Human Security ministries as well as the Central Emergency Fund.
At Tuesday’s meeting, caretaker Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompow, the renegade secretary-general of Palang Pracharath Party, was seen sitting with Pheu Thai MPs along with members of his faction. Thamanat’s group has won three Cabinet seats, while the faction of 18 MPs loyal to PPP leader Prawit Wongsuwan was expelled from the coalition.
