Delay seen in Thai budget bill enactment

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BUDGET
Delay seen in budget bill enactment
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The government agrees to delay its bid for the royal endorsement for the budget bill, pending for the Constitutional Court's review on a petition to the bill.

Varathep Ratanakorn, PM’s Office Minister, said on Tuesday that this means the bill may not be enacted on October 1. While this will not affect government personnel, this will mean a delay in government projects.

While insisting that the government did not violate the Constitution, he hoped that the Court would quickly conclude the case.

According to Varathep, a group of MPs and senators reportedly filed a petition to the Court, alleging the government of slashing the budgets to independent organisations. The Cabinet today agreed that the government will seek the royal endorsement for the budget bill only when the Court concludes the case.

"We still don’t know if the Court will take the case into its consideration. We were just informed in writing from the House Speaker that the petition has been submitted to the Court," he said.


-- The Nation 2013-09-10