How do you distinguish between the rich and the poor? The government subcommittee handling the digital wallet scheme believes it has an answer, even though the way the whole thing will be financed is still being debated.

 

It is proposing that individuals earning more than 25,000 baht a month and those with over 100,000 baht in their bank accounts should be classified as “rich” and therefore are not qualified for the 10,000-baht benefit under the much-publicised scheme. The question is, however, whether everyone will agree with such a classification.

 

Thai PBS World talked to Kirida Bhaopichitr Ph.D. of the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), the country’s top policy think-tank specialising in economic development issues. Dr. Kirida shares her thoughts on the digital wallet scheme and the definition of the word ‘rich’ in economic terms. 

 

Does 25,000 baht a month make you rich?

 

Dr. Kirida said, in economic terms, rich and wealthy individuals in Thailand typically earn at least 40,000 baht per month. They account for less than 20% of Thailand’s population.

 

“I have assessed the statistics of incomes in Thailand and to have a high income, a person would need to earn at least 40,000 baht per month…. but that is excluded (from the scheme). Of course, your wealth, or the money you have in your bank or how many cars you have, is a very crude indicator of how well off you are,” Dr. Kirida explained.

 

For this reason, individuals earning more than 25,000 baht per month, representing between 60% and 80% of the population, may not be considered to be rich. Therefore, the classification used by the subcommittee in their proposal may not be accurate, in the eyes of economists, as a means of distinguishing between the rich and the poor.

 

Full story: Thai PBS 2023-11-07

 

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Easy, both get the 10K, the rich will pay for it so end up 0. 

The poor can party or whatever they need.

Quote

Challenge of determining who qualifies for digital wallet scheme

And now for the real challenge: How to make politicians stop to promise half-baked schemes to people

18 hours ago, webfact said:

It is proposing that individuals earning more than 25,000 baht a month and those with over 100,000 baht in their bank accounts should be classified as “rich”

Moving the goal posts after an election promise... never goes down well.

Everyone over the age of 16.