Academic Urges Data Lake for Negative Income Tax and Welfare

Thansettakij•Economy•3d ago

Reader Briefing

Dr. Rapeesupa Wangcharoenrung proposes a Data Lake system to implement a Negative Income Tax and refine welfare targeting for low-income earners.

•The Ministry of Finance announced 9.5 million people passed the 2026 state welfare card criteria out of 18.8 million applicants.
•The state welfare card project has spent over 500 billion baht over the past 9 years.
•Dr. Rapeesupa Wangcharoenrung suggests developing a Negative Income Tax (NIT) to provide subsidies to those with income below a certain threshold.
•The proposed Data Lake would integrate tax, debt, and expenditure data to improve targeting and reduce unnecessary spending.

•The Ministry of Finance approved 9.5 million people for the state welfare card in 2026, representing approximately 14% of the Thai population.
•The Ministry of Finance utilized a Dynamic Data system for the first time by linking information from over 50 government agencies.
•Total budget expenditure for the state welfare card project over 9 years exceeded 500 billion baht.
•Dr. Rapeesupa Wangcharoenrung stated that current registration criteria are not scientific, citing the use of community leader certifications which can lead to errors.
•Dr. Rapeesupa Wangcharoenrung noted that implementing a Negative Income Tax is currently difficult because the state only sees income data for 30% of citizens who file taxes.
•Dr. Rapeesupa Wangcharoenrung proposed creating a Data Lake to integrate tax, debt, and expenditure data to refine targeting.
•Dr. Rapeesupa Wangcharoenrung emphasized the need to reintegrate stateless children into the civil registration system to prevent permanent poverty.
•Dr. Rapeesupa Wangcharoenrung suggested using damage prediction models and local insurance systems to protect citizens from poverty caused by disasters.

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Dr. Rapeesupa Wangcharoenrung

"Social Safety Net"

ตาข่ายความปลอดภัยทางสังคม

Ministry of Finance(กระทรวงการคลัง)ℹ️

The government body that announced the results of the state welfare card eligibility for the year 2026.

Fiscal Policy Research Institute(สถาบันวิจัยนโยบายเศรษฐกิจการคลัง (สวค.))

The organization where Dr. Rapeesupa Wangcharoenrung serves as Deputy Director.

NESDC(สภาพัฒน์ฯ)

The agency that defines the poverty line, stating there are approximately 4 million truly poor people.

State Welfare Card(บัตรสวัสดิการแห่งรัฐ)

A welfare project providing financial support to low-income earners, spending over 500 billion baht over 9 years.

Negative Income Tax(Negative Income Tax (NIT))ℹ️

A proposed tax system where the state provides subsidies to individuals with income below a specified threshold.

Dr. Rapeesupa Wangcharoenrung(ดร.รพีสุภา หวังเจริญรุ่ง)

Deputy Director of the Fiscal Policy Research Institute who provided analysis and recommendations on low-income support policies.

An area where new industries, such as aircraft maintenance, offer high salaries to skilled workers.