Bangkok: Korn Chatikavanij, a list-based MP from the Democrat Party, has raised concerns about the limited impact of the Budget Transfer Act on the economy and public relief. During a debate on the draft Budget Transfer Act of 2023, Korn emphasized the missed opportunity for the government to efficiently allocate the budget to align with public needs. He highlighted that while the Act has significant economic implications, it falls short in providing substantial relief to the public.
According to Thai News Agency, Korn criticized the government's financial management, noting that the Act aims to adjust government spending in response to changing circumstances, such as the war in the Middle East leading to higher energy costs. The adjustment of the 2026 budget was included in the policy statement to Parliament on April 9th. Despite this, Korn expressed regret over the Act's limited impact on businesses and the public due to delayed implementation.
Korn described the bill as a "lame duck bill," pointing out that since the conflict's outbreak in March, Deputy Prime Minister Ekniti had signaled an expected budget transfer of up to 100 billion baht by mid-April. However, Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn revealed the government's plan to issue an emergency decree for 500 billion baht, which was not aligned with Mr. Ekniti's intentions. Korn suggested that the Ministry of Finance had a better plan to transfer existing budget funds of over 125 billion baht to provide public relief, without needing an emergency decree.
The Ministry of Finance's efforts were thwarted due to political maneuvering, focusing on issuing an emergency decree. Korn highlighted that Mr. Ekniti's deadline of April 30th for reviewing projects under the Budget Transfer Act led to ministries rushing to sign contracts, even for non-urgent projects, to justify borrowing 400 billion baht via an emergency decree instead.
Korn questioned the reduction of funds from 100 billion to 10.3 billion baht, which he argued has minimal economic impact. He attributed this to the government's desire to uphold its policy statement to Parliament and defend itself against the Constitutional Court. The law's enactment is permissible only in unavoidable circumstances, requiring the government to demonstrate exhaustion of available resources. Korn suggested that transferring only 10 billion baht without enacting the law could prompt questions for the Constitutional Court, especially when 100 billion baht could have been transferred initially.