By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE PHEU THAI COULD probably lose their sustained popularity among constituents nationwide should the liberal party have to borrow money to fund their campaign-pledged 10,000-baht digital wallet policy, partisan sources said today (Apr.17).
The Pheu Thai has today submitted facts and figures pertaining to the party’s promised populist policy, among others, to provide a maximum of 10,000 baht in digital wallet for each of an estimated 54 million adolescents and adults throughout the country to buy goods and services in a radius of four kilometres from their census-registered home within six months on condition that the liberal party become government after the nationwide election.
But the Pheu Thai legal team, headed by Chusak Sirinil, has been considerably concerned over the possibility that the party, of which deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is invariably viewed as de facto boss, might lose their popularity to some extent if the people assumed that no less than 200 billion baht out of a total of about 540 billion baht in funding to cover their populist campaign would only be procured through loans, the partisan sources said.
The Pheu Thai economic team, headed by Prommin Lertsuridej, has calculated that some 350 billion baht in state revenue could be collected from taxes, plus planned deductions from state budgets regularly allocated for varied government agencies but that amount would not be enough to fund the 540 billion baht digital wallet policy, the partisan sources said.
The Pheu Thai which has constantly taken the current Prayut regime to task for having borrowed more than 10 trillion baht and put the country in debt for the last several years could probably be cornered up, get lambasted for such a disputable economic measure and desperately see their popularity dwindling ahead of the May 14 general election, they said.
Real estate tycoon Settha Taweesin, one of a trio of Pheu Thai partisan contestants for prime minister, who was the first person to publicly announce the sensational digital wallet policy, has earlier said without elaborating that the party already knew how to find money to fund it.
The sensational Pheu Thai policy has drawn resolute objection from rival parties and critics who have branded it an extravagant, ultra-populist campaign.
CAPTIONS:
Top: A representative image of Pheu Thai’s campaign-pledged 10,000-baht digital wallet policy. Credit: Matichon
Front Page: Settha Taweesin, one of a trio of Pheu Thai partisan contestants for prime minister, campaigning recently. Photo: Thai Rath
Insert: Mr. Chusak Sirinil who heads Pheu Thai’s legal team. Photo: Matichon
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