Officials admit welfare card can be abused to buy booze, cigarettes

By Coconuts Bangkok

 

 

The Comptroller General’s Department has admitted the government cannot prevent low-income earners from using their welfare fund cards to buy cigarettes and booze.

 

Although the money transferred monthly to their welfare cards can’t be cashed out, people can still use the grocery budget on the card to buy anything they like from the 8,000 participating discounted grocery shops nationwide, including booze.

 

The welfare cards will be distributed to 11.67 million registered low-income earners on Sept. 21 and will be usable from Oct. 1, Bangkok Post reported.

 

Full Story: https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/officials-admit-welfare-card-can-abused-buy-booze-cigarettes/

 

-- © Copyright Coconuts Bangkok 2017-8-31

What's this nagging feeling I got right now that the solution to this is really simple? I don't know anything about these cards and those participating stores whatever, but this feeling is there.

13 minutes ago, Ceruhe said:

What's this nagging feeling I got right now that the solution to this is really simple? I don't know anything about these cards and those participating stores whatever, but this feeling is there.

OK, take a deep breath and gently let out this feeling you have there and help us understand..

31 minutes ago, Ceruhe said:

What's this nagging feeling I got right now that the solution to this is really simple? I don't know anything about these cards and those participating stores whatever, but this feeling is there.

Wartime ration books?

Could that be your thinking????

Great news for the poor.

 

Crack on and enjoy. 

34 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Wartime ration books?

Could that be your thinking????

I'm too young to even remember from hear say lol, that would be overkill alright, but then again, wouldn't work here in the first place.

 

I'm guessing this will be some SmartCard or whatever, thus you could implement purchase rejection if alcohol items are detected (which would/could work just fine with Makro/Tesco/Big C and the likes). There would be that to curb it to some degree, but then there would also be the additional but far fetched enforceable dream of the cashiers also denying booze sales when dealing with welfare cards, granted it can get circumvented either way, but there most certainly would be a drop achieved.

Although I rarely buy booze and already account for the sales ban during 14-17h, that seems to be decently enforced by big chain operators from what I've seen so far. Just like you gotta show ID buying booze in the US even if you look well over 40 for good measure. Some wiggle room and so forth, but with anything here, I don't have any expectations in the first place.

Yeah, but . . .

 

If they are so worried about the cards being abused, why doesn't the government issue food stamps like those handout out to nearly 50 million hungry and impoverished inhabitants of the world's wealthiest democracy?

 

They could also tap into the nation's renowned community spirit by helping set up a network of "food banks" of the kind that have become about the only growth industry in the UK and other "developed" European nations.

 

To be brutally honest, if I were a dirt-poor Thai with no prospects of a decent life, I'd probably prefer the present cack-handed system to continue. Then at least I'd have the means to drown my sorrows.

Edited September 1, 20178 yr by Krataiboy

1 hour ago, Krataiboy said:

Yeah, but . . .

 

If they are so worried about the cards being abused, why doesn't the government issue food stamps like those handout out to nearly 50 million hungry and impoverished inhabitants of the world's wealthiest democracy?

 

They could also tap into the nation's renowned community spirit by helping set up a network of "food banks" of the kind that have become about the only growth industry in the UK and other "developed" European nations.

 

To be brutally honest, if I were a dirt-poor Thai with no prospects of a decent life, I'd probably prefer the present cack-handed system to continue. Then at least I'd have the means to drown my sorrows.

Oh, how very, very true.

I mean the situation in so called first world countries like the USA and the countries in the EU.

It's a racket and unavoidably so.  I'm in line at the grocery back in the states all the time watching shoppers use taxpayer-provided food stamps for the milk & eggs, so they can spend their own cash on the beer, wine and filets.  DOA (Dept of Agriculture) drones are incentivized to sign up whoever they possibly can for the food stamp program; proof of need not required OR desired. 

 

I think food banks are probably a somewhat better proposition, if only because people NOT in need aren't as likely to show up there for the handout.  But the food stamp approach is just like handing out free money.

 

Edited September 4, 20178 yr by hawker9000