June 2, 2023
BANGKOK – These include negotiations on the contract of the high-speed railway project linking three airports (Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao), raising the minimum wage to 450 baht per day, the price of diesel, and electricity costs.
She said the high-speed railway project is waiting for the new government to decide on a contract amendment with private contractor Asia Era One. The Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee has not considered this issue.
On the minimum wage hike, Move Forward has to create awareness among entrepreneurs on this issue, not least because the party had promised to work on the minimum wage within the first 100 days of government.
She said that Move Forward has prepared measures to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs), such as relief for social security contributions and tax payments.
The new government would also take care of the price of diesel as a 5 baht increase after the tax cut programme ends on July 20 would affect the economy.
The new government would use the Oil Fuel Fund mechanism to raise diesel tax gradually in a bid to mitigate the impact on residents, she said, adding that the government would also seek measures to deal with this issue.
She said a decline in electricity cost from 4.70 baht per unit to 4 baht is in line with a decline in fuel prices. She added that the new government would focus on producing electricity from natural gas in the Gulf of Thailand.
However, Move Forward believes that the cost of electricity could drop by another 10 satang per unit.
The new government also planned to launch long-term bonds and pay the interest to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, so the agency can manage debt effectively and reduce the electricity cost.
Sirikanya Tansakun
Move Forward was also planning discussions with several agencies including the Federation of Thai Capital Market Organisations, the National Economic and Social Development Council and the Budget Bureau with the aim of boosting their confidence in the party’s policies to stimulate the economy.-
Sirikanya said negotiations on trade and investment should be conducted jointly, adding that Move Forward will improve the Board of Investment’s measures to attract more foreign investment.
“We should have investment packages that meet the needs of each investor,” she said, adding that Thailand could gain benefits from investment in electric vehicles, semiconductors and upstream chip industries through production base allocation amid the conflict between the US and China.
However, Thailand should maintain its neutral status to ensure maximum benefits, she added.
Move Forward would implement Zero Base Budgeting (ZBB) in fiscal year 2025 as the party has first to restructure budgeting in fiscal 2024 and ZBB requires a large amount of data to work and an assessment of budget appropriateness over several years to ensure that it will meet the government’s development plan in the long term.