Move Forward takes a swipe at govt over ‘unprofessional’ budget bill
Move Forward MP Sirikanya Tansakun on Wednesday slammed the government’s 3.48-trillion-baht budget bill for fiscal year 2024, saying it was full of “unprofessional” errors.
She was speaking on the first day of the three-day House of Representatives’ first reading of the budget bill.
Sirikanya, who is deputy leader of Move Forward, said that the Pheu Thai-led coalition government had failed to come up with a backup plan in case Parliament rejected its flagship digital wallet programme, because the budget bill made no reference to the scheme.
The government is relying only on the enactment of a loan bill to finance the 10,000 baht digital handout scheme. If the bill fails to gain approval in Parliament, Pheu Thai’s commitment to stimulate the economy would remain imaginary, she said.
The Srettha Thavisin administration decided to draft a bill to seek 500 billion baht to fund its digital wallet scheme.
She added that the bill shows there is just 15 billion baht available to strengthen Thailand's manufacturing competitiveness, quite in contrast to the government's earlier announcement that it would set aside 100 billion baht to create a fund.
The former researcher also pointed out that some of the budget allocations were “unreasonable”. She highlighted 7.7 billion baht being allocated for just building roads.
Sirikanya said that despite the government's claim about Thailand experiencing an economic crisis, the Defence Ministry's budget had increased by 2%.
To make her case, she cited data from earlier times when Thailand's economy was struggling. During the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the Defence Ministry’s budget was cut by 21%; by 10% during the sub-prime mortgage crisis; and by 5% during the Covid-19 pandemic, she pointed out.
Under the current bill, 198 billion baht has been allocated for the Defence Ministry.
Sirikanya said that various Pheu Thai policies, including the tax decree policy, could reduce the government's revenue by up to 90 billion baht.
The MP from the main opposition party concluded her statement by expressing her dissatisfaction, stating, "I see nothing in this bill but the fact that this government could not work professionally. It's time for people to reconsider their views about Pheu Thai's ability to lead the nation,” she said.
If the bill passes the first reading, it will be taken up for the second and third readings in the House before it passes on to the Senate for approval and ultimately receives royal endorsement. The entire process is expected to be completed by April.
