September 11, 2023, at the Parliament, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Srettha Thavisin delivered policy statements of the Council of Ministers to the Parliament.
The Srettha administration has released the guidelines for the government’s policy statements as follows:
The incumbent Government is to undertake for Thailand’s secure advancement, and for peace, solidarity, and considerateness of the Thai society, as well as better quality of life of the Thai people.
According to the Prime Minister, the Government has a policy to protect and uphold the King, and promote religions as mechanism for strengthening merits and ethics. The Government’s policy on 10,000-baht digital money handout will be implemented to bolster national economy by extensively and equitably injecting money into the system to ensure money circulation down to the grassroots economy.
The policy will also lay down the foundation for digital economy, create new opportunities, and enhance efficiency and transparency of the country’s payment system.
In order to alleviate hardship, resolve problems, and lay down the foundation for everyone’s future, policy directives for administration of state affairs have been classified into short-term (urgent) policies, and medium-term and long-term policies.
The Government has formulated short-term policies to stimulate spendings, address people’s immediate problems, and reignite the engines of growth. Medium-term and long-term policies are also crafted with the aim to build people’s capacity through creating revenues, reducing expenses, increasing opportunities, minimize disparity, and promote better quality of life of all the Thai people.
The Government’s urgent policies are:
1. Addressing debts in both the agricultural, business, and people’s sectors through debt moratorium for farmers and SMEs, and other debt relief measures that are not against the principle of financial discipline and do not cause any moral hazard
2. Alleviating people’s burden on energy cost through adjusting electricity and gasoline fees at a manageable level, restructuring the nation’s energy usage, promoting clean and renewable energy, among others
3. Generating more tourism revenues through revising and facilitating visa application procedure and exempting visa fee for tourists from targeted countries, introducing ‘Fast Track VISA’ for MICE participants, and improving all related services, among others
4. Addressing difference in opinions with regard to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2560 to ensure the more diplomatic constitution, while adhering to the democratic regime of government with the King as Head of State, and keeping Chapter II of the Constitution on “the King” intact. The Government will restore the Rule of Law in a strong, efficient, and transparent manner since an accountable Rule of Law is the least expensive, yet most effective, investment in mental and social infrastructure.
As for medium-term and long-term policies, the Government strives to generate revenue (through proactive economic diplomacy, development of new economies, transport infrastructure investment, fishing industry promotion, etc.), create opportunities (through leveraging existing assets to create employment and revenue, public engagement in resource distribution and allocation, etc.), enhance people’s quality of life (through ensuring internal and external security, improving public health system, promoting equity and equality, etc.), and promote application of digital and technologies (through exchange of technologies, cyber security enhancement, etc.)
The Government also committed to enhance Thailand’s role at the international stage, and conduct diplomatic relations with countries in the region and the wider international community in a balanced and stable manner on the basis of the principles of mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual benefit, while putting in efforts to realize the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking forward the carbon neutrality policy, protecting the environment, and conserving natural resources.
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