Welfare card scheme will help poor pay for basic needs

By The Nation

 

File photo

 

BANGKOK: -- ALL REGISTERED low-income earners will be entitled to welfare cards or cash cards that will help ease their cost-of-living burden from October 1.

In Bangkok and adjacent provinces, these cards will be worth between Bt1,700 and Bt1,800 a month, including Bt500 allowances for the use of Bangkok-based bus, MRT and BTS systems. 

 

In other provinces, these cards will have the value of between Bt1,200 and Bt1,300 a month because residents there apparently will not need the capital's public transport. 

 

The government has described those earning no more than Bt100,000 a year as low-income earners. To date, 11.67 million Thais are registered as needing additional state welfare. 

 

The cash card scheme is intended to help them buy basic commodities.

 

 

Low-income earners can use the cash cards at Blue Flag outlets or other shops participating in the government’s scheme to provide low-cost products. Those people earning less than Bt30,000 a year will get a Bt300 monthly allowance for these commodities, while those earning more than Bt30,000 but less than Bt100,000 a year will get Bt200 monthly allowances. 

 

Comptroller General’s Department director-general Suttirat Rattanachot said there were also Bt500 allowances for train services and Bt500 allowances for interprovincial bus services each month. 

 

She said the government would start handing out the cash cards from September 21. 

 

“These cards can be used from October 1,” she added, “But credits in the cards cannot be accumulated. The allowance for each month expires at the end of the month”. 

 

Fiscal Policy Office’s director Krisada Chinavicharana, said more than 14.1 million people had registered as low-income earners during the first round of registration. 

 

“But background checks have found that about 2.5 million of these people are not financially poor. They are thus disqualified,” he said. 

 

Krisada said his office is considering taking action against people who falsely report themselves as poor. 

 

“They may be stripped of other forms of welfare as punishment,” he added. 

 

Krisada confirmed that hundreds of PhD holders had registered themselves as low-income earners. 

 

“Even after background checks, there are still 500 of them who are really financially poor by the criteria set by the government,” he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30325331

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-31

Welfare card scheme will help poor pay for basic needs

“But background checks have found that about 2.5 million of these people are not financially poor. They are thus disqualified,” he said.

 

..............that's a lot of cheats!!!

51 minutes ago, webfact said:

Low-income earners can use the cash cards at Blue Flag outlets or other shops participating in the government’s scheme to provide low-cost products.

where are these shops ?  is it shops like Big C ?

If the cards can be used at the local pick-up truck store and whiskey counter they should be popular !

I wonder how the new scheme will be funded, given that the government is running a budget-deficit, as they have done for a decade or more ?  Increased-borrowing or tax-increases, or savings elsewhere ? 

Edited August 31, 20178 yr by Ricardo

6 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Welfare card scheme will help poor pay for basic needs

“But background checks have found that about 2.5 million of these people are not financially poor. They are thus disqualified,” he said.

 

..............that's a lot of cheats!!!

 

99% of the population are cheats !!

.....................just my personal observation 

another fail policy that is just a temporary solution

It's amazing that a country with 1% unemployment also has 20% on welfare

3 minutes ago, coulson said:

It's amazing that a country with 1% unemployment also has 20% on welfare

The rest are maths teachers!

3 hours ago, Ricardo said:

I wonder how the new scheme will be funded, given that the government is running a budget-deficit, as they have done for a decade or more ?  Increased-borrowing or tax-increases, or savings elsewhere ? 

Loans, because if they increase taxes they won't be at a deficit anymore. So far all goverments in the last years have been on a budget deficit.