At least four important concerns from the current administration would be addressed by the coalition led by Move Forward, according to the party’s deputy leader Sirikanya Tansakun on Tuesday.
These discussions involve the contract for the high-speed train project connecting Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, and U-Tapao airports, the increase in the minimum wage to 450 Baht per day. Plus the cost of diesel, and the price of energy.
According to her, the high-speed rail project is awaiting the decision of the incoming administration over a contract modification with private contractor Asia Era One. This issue has not been discussed by the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee.
Move Forward needs to educate business owners about the minimum wage increase, not least because the party had pledged to address the issue within the first 100 days of taking office.
She said that Move Forward has created policies to assist small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), including tax and social security payment relief.
The price of diesel would also be addressed by the next administration because a 5 baht hike once the tax reduction program expires on July 20 would have an adverse economic impact.
She added that the government would also look for ways to address this problem and that it would progressively boost the diesel tax through the Oil Fuel Fund mechanism in an effort to lessen the impact on people.
She claimed that a drop in the price of power from 4.70 baht to 4 baht per unit is consistent with a drop in fuel prices. She continued by saying that the incoming administration would prioritize using natural gas from the Gulf of Thailand to generate power.
Move Forward, however, thinks that the price of electricity might decrease by an additional 10 satang per unit.
In order for the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand to efficiently manage debt and lower electricity costs, the new government also planned to issue long-term bonds and pay the agency’s interest.
In order to increase their faith in the party’s economic stimulus measures, Move Forward was also organizing meetings with a number of organizations, including the Federation of Thai Capital Market Organizations, the National Economic and Social Development Council, and the Budget Bureau.-
The conduct of trade and investment negotiations, according to Sirikanya, should be done cooperatively, and she added that Move Forward will enhance the Board of Investment’s efforts to increase foreign investment.
She added that Thailand may profit from investments in the semiconductor, upstream chip, and electric vehicle industries through production base allocation amid the US-China trade war. “We should have investment packages that meet the needs of each investor,” she said.
To ensure the greatest advantages, she continued, Thailand should continue to preserve its neutral status.
As the party must first restructure budgeting in fiscal 2024, Move Forward would implement zero base budgeting (ZBB) in fiscal year 2025. ZBB requires a significant amount of data to function and an assessment of budget appropriateness over a number of years to ensure that it will meet the government’s development plan in the long term.
