4 Parties Debate Off-Budget Funding for Campaign Policies

Thansettakij•Politics•258d ago

Reader Briefing

Four political parties debated innovative off-budget fiscal strategies on January 30, 2026, to fund their election pledges, focusing on revenue generation and expenditure efficiency.

•On January 30, 2026, a debate on economic policy named 'Thailand Redesign 2026: The Next Level' was organized by Than Setthakit.
•Representatives from Pheu Thai, Democrat, People's Party, and Thai Krita are presented policies focusing on fiscal strategies.
•Key proposals include tax reform, efficient government spending, and attracting foreign investment to boost national revenue.

Overview

•On Jan 30, 2026, Than Setthakit organized a policy debate titled 'Thailand Redesign 2026: The Next Level' at AIS Siam.
•Pheu Thai proposed the 'Millionaire Creation' strategy, aiming to increase revenue through a lottery system for transaction receipts, as stated by Noph. Phromin Lertsuridej.
•Pheu Thai estimated their proposed VAT increase could generate approximately 900,000 million THB annually, with 100,000 million THB allocated for spending, representing a 12% increase.
•Democrat proposed a 4-year pledge budget of approximately 2 million million THB, averaging 530,000 million THB per year, emphasizing efficiency and long-term investment, according to Dr. Kardi Lertsuridej.
•The People's Party aims to reduce the budget deficit to less than 3% of GDP, focusing on closing spending loopholes and improving procurement processes, as detailed by Dr. Sithipol Viboonthanakul.
•The People's Party proposed to save approximately 120,000-130,000 million THB by reducing the central budget and improving public procurement transparency.
•Thai Krita believes that rapid revenue increases within two years are unfeasible due to existing skill gaps but emphasized long-term infrastructure investment via bond issuance, as stated by Panaratch Damrongthai.
•Thai Krita proposed increasing the tax collection rate to match Indonesia's 11% from the current 7% and fostering a generation of honest, future-ready youth, according to Panaratch Damrongthai.

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Key Quotes

Noph. Phromin Lertsuridej

"Currently, Thailand's economy has been growing below its potential for over 10 years."

ปัจจุบันสภาพเศรษฐกิจของประเทศไทยเราเติบโตต่ำกว่าศักยภาพมานานกว่า 10 ปี

Noph. Phromin Lertsuridej

"We look at Taiwan and Brazil who succeeded with this model: 'Million Baht Bill Lottery'."

เราดูของไต้หวันและบราซิลที่เคยประสบความสำเร็จในรูปแบบนี้ คือ "บิลลุ้นล้าน"

Dr. Kardi Lertsuridej

"There are no populist policies."

ไม่มีนโยบายประชานิยม

Dr. Sithipol Viboonthanakul

"How to make it sustainable with clear funding sources."

ทำยังไงให้มันยั่งยืน มีแหล่งที่มาของเงินชัดเจน

Panaratch Damrongthai

"Reducing expenses and increasing income within 2 years is not possible because Thai skills are lacking."

ลดรายจ่ายและก็เพิ่มรายได้ ภายใน 2 ปีทำไม่ได้ เพราะว่าทักษะไทยยังไม่มี

Panaratch Damrongthai

"If the country wants to be rich, you all have to get rich by yourselves."

ถ้าประเทศอยากจะรวย พวกน้องก็ต้องรวยด้วยตัวเอง

Key Entities

Organization

Than Setthakit(ฐานเศรษฐกิจ)

Organizer of the 'Thailand Redesign 2026: The Next Level' economic policy debate.

Sanya Thammasak Institute(สถาบันสัญญาธรรมศักดิ์)

Co-organizer of the 'Thailand Redesign 2026: The Next Level' economic policy debate.

Pheu Thai Party(พรรคเพื่อไทย)ℹ️

Political party participating in the economic policy debate.

Democrat Party(พรรคประชาธิปัตย์)ℹ️

Political party participating in the economic policy debate.

People's Party(พรรคประชาชน)

Political party participating in the economic policy debate.

Thai Krita Party(พรรคไทยก้าวใหม่)

Political party participating in the economic policy debate.

Person

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trairat Phokpholakorn(รศ.ดร.ไตรรัตน์ โภคพลากรณ์)

Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, and the Sanya Thammasak Institute for Democracy, who posed questions during the debate.

Dr. Phrommin Lertsuridej(นพ.พรหมินทร์ เลิศสุริย์เดช)

Representative of the Pheu Thai Party who discussed economic growth and revenue-raising strategies.

Dr. Kardi Lertsuridej(ดร.การดี เลียวไพโรจน์)

Prime Ministerial Candidate No. 3 for the Democrat Party, who presented fiscal policies focusing on efficiency and long-term investment.

Dr. Sithipol Viboonthanakul(ดร.สิทธิพล วิบูลย์ธนากุล)

List-MP candidate for the People's Party, who focused on sustainable fiscal policies, reducing deficits, and improving government spending.

Panaratch Damrongthai(นายภาณรัช ดํารงไทย)

Head of Energy and Innovation Strategy for the Thai Krita Party, who discussed revenue and expenditure, and the importance of education.

Policy

The National Treasury (Budget and Fiscal Discipline)(The National Treasury (งบประมาณ และ วินัยคลัง))

A key topic discussed during the 'Thailand Redesign 2026: The Next Level' debate.