Thai Cabinet approves 12.75 billion baht assistance plan for low income earners

[webfact]

Cabinet approves 12.75 billion baht assistance plan for low income earners

 

 

BANGKOK: -- The Cabinet yesterday approved a 12.75 billion baht fund to help 5.4 million low income earners who have already registered for state welfares.

 

Under the scheme which will become effective January 1 next year, people earning less than 30,000 baht a year will be given 3,000 baht as a one time subsidy for cost of living, and those earning between 30,001-100,000 baht will get 1,500 baht subsidy.

 

The government subsidies will be paid into the personal bank accounts of the low income earners from January 1-30 next year.

 

In addition to the cost of living subsidy the government also approved the Wage Committee’s proposal to increase minimum wage in 69 provinces between 5-10 baht, with the exemption of eight provinces which did not propose for wage increase.

 

Minimum wage in these eight provinces will remain at 300-baht a day.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/cabinet-approves-12-75-billion-baht-assistance-plan-for-low-income-earners/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-11-23

[DavidVincent]

Damn, Prayut seems quite scared of what could happen if there was an uprising of the poors....He looks more and more like a Thaksin's doppelganger

[kotsak]

 

Read my lips.. No more populist programs, someone said after usurping power..  

[BlindMagician]

Payouts might buy votes, but they are known not to be effective of anything else...invest in something practical like skills training...teach them how to fish instead of handing out fish.

[NextStationBangkok]

People hate Thaksin and his sister, they were giving more than this, and purchased rice for better price.

 

[Muggi1968]

No matter they do everybody here will complaint...

 

[geisha]

I'm not certain what financial help, if any, is given to low income families to educate their children . I really believe that these families must be obliged to send their kids to school and that until a certain age, example 16. Too many families have their kids on the streets selling food, flowers, working in the fields. I know it's very difficult for them , but that's where financial help must come in, paying for their school uniforms, lunches and an allowance for every child that is fully educated . A real education ministery overhaul could get this working  to help the future work generation to fend for themselves in life. When I see the hopelessness in these poor families eyes it makes me very sad , and three thousand baht a year won't help much !! Who can live on 2/3 thousand baht a month ?

 

[georgemandm]

How the hell do they know who is on low income, no one dose tax return and most people on low income work for cash like all the hookers and the hookers will put in for that hand out as well , just a joke .

[geisha]

@georgemandm. Ridiculous !

[georgemandm]

15 minutes ago, geisha said:

@georgemandm. Ridiculous !

How can you say that you are ridiculous 

not me ok .

how many Thais do you know who do a tax return and pay tax ? .

how many hookers that make all that money of sex pay tax not one .

so how can you say ridiculous.

you most go around thailand with your eyes closed.

[Craig krup]

For the very poorest the fact that they're eating all their calories in starch and sugar is a massive problem. Oily fish is the one thing the country can produce a lot of, and if mothers don't have the essential fats available when their kids are in the womb the kid is permanently damaged. I'd be tempted to try food stamp cards that can only be used to buy a limited range of things. Maybe you create stigma, but you also i) control what the money is spent on, and ii) make savings: those who aren't genuinely poor are the ones who'll be dissuaded by the stigma. 

[chickenslegs]

42 minutes ago, georgemandm said:

How the hell do they know who is on low income, no one dose tax return and most people on low income work for cash like all the hookers and the hookers will put in for that hand out as well , just a joke .

 

From the original post...

Quote

to help 5.4 million low income earners who have already registered for state welfares.

 

Edited November 23, 2016 by chickenslegs

[georgemandm]

16 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

 

From the original post...

 

Yes and when word gets round there will be 11 million registered for the free money 

[eeyang wah]

1 hour ago, BlindMagician said:

Payouts might buy votes, but they are known not to be effective of anything else...invest in something practical like skills training...teach them how to fish instead of handing out fish.

Exactly.

Utterly pointless to hand out a couple of thousand baht that will be gone in five minutes.

[rocketman777]

What is the difference between Tax cuts for the rich and welfare for the poor.

 

Whereas the former is suppose to stimulate the economy by the "trickle down ' effect. The effect is just a trickle and largely no effective

 

The latter by putting government created money into the hands of the poor not only helps to relieve poverty but has a considerable stimulative  effect on the overall economy.

 

Hats off to the government for such a progressive economic policy. Unfortunately does not as far enough.

 

Teach "Them"  to catch fish - catch fish - give me a break !!!

 

 

 

 

[LivinLOS]

NCPO eyes populist policy ban

[DrDave]

1 hour ago, geisha said:

I'm not certain what financial help, if any, is given to low income families to educate their children . I really believe that these families must be obliged to send their kids to school and that until a certain age, example 16. Too many families have their kids on the streets selling food, flowers, working in the fields. I know it's very difficult for them , but that's where financial help must come in, paying for their school uniforms, lunches and an allowance for every child that is fully educated . A real education ministery overhaul could get this working  to help the future work generation to fend for themselves in life. When I see the hopelessness in these poor families eyes it makes me very sad , and three thousand baht a year won't help much !! Who can live on 2/3 thousand baht a month ?

 

Absolutely correct.

However, I'd add the requirement that the curriculum taught in the public schools be updated to international standards. I was appalled the first time I saw my stepdaughter's high school transcript. It was filled with rubbish courses that develop no useful skills - heavily weighted toward Thai culture/history and religion. Thailand really needs to upgrade their education system from primary through university levels so that students are better-prepared for life in the 21st century, and are able to compete in a world economy.  If not, Thailand will never progress beyond "developing nation" status.

[elgordo38]

3 hours ago, BlindMagician said:

Payouts might buy votes, but they are known not to be effective of anything else...invest in something practical like skills training...teach them how to fish instead of handing out fish.

Prayuth's payouts. Its a fishing net to catch people dumb enough to give their actual income. Cross reference them with the tax rolls and its "Bringing in the sheaves" time. Yes this seems to be a crack in Mr. P's armor. Again stop gap measures nothing permenant

[Srikcir]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

a 12.75 billion baht fund to help 5.4 million low income earners

Lip service.

Reviewing 2016 Thai Visa articles I find aid to farmers and primarily rice farmers of a total of almost 100 billion baht:

•  2/11 - 1 billion baht fund over 5 years to subsidize farmers at 30,000 baht each
•  5/08 - 16 billion to help farmers stabilize price of paddy
•  5/09 -  3 billion baht to buy back debts owed by farmers
•  6/22 - 37.8 billion baht in financial assistance for 3.7 million farmers
•  6/22 - 5.4 billion baht in soft loans for farmers
•  6/22 - 690 million baht to buy back land seized from farmers who forfieted on their mortgages
• 11/01 - 35.9 billion baht for rice farmers to withhold crops from being sold to millers and store it

 

[Dustdevil]

It translates to someone earning $71 a month gets a one-time subsidy of $85. Not much of a populist welfare notion even for Thailand.

[pookiki]

It would be helpful if there was an explanation of the 'State Welfare System' -- how one qualifies, what are the current payments, etc. The full article also talks about the minimum wage Prayuth has abolished a uniform minimum wage for the entire country and gone back to a hodge-podge approach to granting very meager increases, and in some cases, no increases at all.  Prayuth needs to take care of working people in the private sector to the same degree as doles out very good wage increases and benefits for civil servants.

[free123]

well the typical sign of the failed social/economical politic of a country....if social laws ( minimum wage, housing politic, workers rights, education politic etc. ) would be in order THAN there would be no need for such costly one trick ponys BECAUSE there will be no pple around with under 30000 bhat a month....it all will be more costly ( sales tax etc. ) so sure the falangs would not approve as everything will be more expensive and life standards would improove..up to a level like in their home countrys..so no cheap hookers anymore cause the economical breeding ground for them will be extinguished....but if anyone would undergo such a hercules task he would need to raise morals and stop corruption first...in thailand impossible ....

[Khon Kaen Dave]

I would be very interested to find out how much of the 12.5 000,000 gets to where it should go.I wouldn't be surprised if there are a lot of fake names on the registration list's

[Xircal]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Under the scheme which will become effective January 1 next year, people earning less than 30,000 baht a year will be given 3,000 baht as a one time subsidy for cost of living

 

30k baht a year is only 83 baht (+ 34 satang) a day. Maybe if the PM tries living on that amount every day he might appreciate that giving someone an additional 8 baht a day (3,000 baht / 365 days) isn't going to make much difference to their welfare.

 

 

Edited November 23, 2016 by Xircal

[DM07]

Let's see:
Give yourself and your friends amnesty- check!
Pay way to much money to rice farmers, instead of making sensible agricultural politics- check!
Handing out money ( that is not yours to hand out) and other goodies to "the poor",aka populist poltics- check!
Last time something like this happened, half my colleagues took hours of their daily work-schedule, blocked roads and whistled themselves into a frenzy!
Soooo... i guess , we are in for some fun times soon!
...oh...never mind...


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[hansnl]

1 hour ago, pookiki said:

It would be helpful if there was an explanation of the 'State Welfare System' -- how one qualifies, what are the current payments, etc. The full article also talks about the minimum wage Prayuth has abolished a uniform minimum wage for the entire country and gone back to a hodge-podge approach to granting very meager increases, and in some cases, no increases at all.  Prayuth needs to take care of working people in the private sector to the same degree as doles out very good wage increases and benefits for civil servants.

Do you remember the former rise of the minimum wages?

OK.

When the government announced the 300 baht minimum wage, the prices went up.

When the minimum wage was introduced, up went the prices again.

And now, in many areas 300 baht minimum is a joke.

Actual daily wages are lower.

So maybe, this careful approach might be better.

[pookiki]

3 minutes ago, hansnl said:

Do you remember the former rise of the minimum wages?

OK.

When the government announced the 300 baht minimum wage, the prices went up.

When the minimum wage was introduced, up went the prices again.

And now, in many areas 300 baht minimum is a joke.

Actual daily wages are lower.

So maybe, this careful approach might be better.

Yes, I remember when the minimum wage was increased. Government workers received a increase at the same time for workers who pursued university degrees. There hasn't been an increase in the minimum wage for 4  years. No increase for some and a pittance for others. And I strongly disagree with segmenting the country with differing amounts for the minimum wage. Civil servants have received numerous increases in the meantime as well as many gov't perks.

[geisha]

@georgemandm , I think it's you who has an eye sight problem! Do you really believe there is no poverty in Thailand ? Yes, I know Thailand very well, and not only the tourist centres. By the way, what's your obsession with " hookers" ? They weren't the subject of this post .Thats another problem altogether. 

[autoc]

preparing next elections ?

 

[georgemandm]

5 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

 

From the original post...

 

Have you seen what happens when the free money is harder out , they all come from no were .

they is no way in the world that the thai government knows how many Thais are poor .

 millions of Thais not do a tax return so how can the thai government no who is poor or who is not  in possible to no .