Accounts differ about an unpublished government report on a plan to use digital baht to stimulate the economy.
A controversial Thailand government plan to deposit money to all citizens over 16 through digital wallets may or may not be facing more headwinds after the Office of the Council of State provided the government with an appraisal of its funding methods.
Thai publication The Nation reported that the council had taken a negative stance on the plan to distribute 10,000 baht ($286) to 54.8 million Thai citizens as an economic stimulus. The council stated that, if the government believed the economic situation called for such a measure, it should have enacted it by decree, instead of proposing a bill to borrow the money needed for the plan. Funding the plan through legislation would take months, the council reportedly said.
Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat later claimed the council concluded that the plan was legal and could be implemented on May 1 as expected, according to the same publication. Meanwhile, opposition politicians are preparing for a “special Senate debate” that will address concerns about the plan, among other things. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is also reportedly planning a government meeting on funding the project next week.
