People’s Party demands cuts to duplicative, unnecessary spending

The opposition People’s Party has vowed to vote against the government’s 3.78-trillion-baht budget bill for the 2027 fiscal year during the second reading of the bill, taking place today through Wednesday, if the government refuses to trim duplicative or unnecessary budget allocations.

Sirikanya Tansakul, deputy leader of the People’s Party, told the media before today’s parliamentary debate that the opposition would scrutinise every project in detail to identify spending that is unworthy of taxpayers’ money, suspicious or at risk of irregularities.

She cited the 12-billion-baht allocation for economic rehabilitation in the Central Fund, which she said duplicates the government’s 400-billion-baht borrowing under the Loan Decree to boost the domestic economy and fund the transition to clean energy.

She also pointed out that the government’s budget for resolving unrest in the Deep South, which was previously incorporated into the restorative plan, had been shifted to the strategic plan without any significant changes. She said it still focuses on “military operations instead of political approaches” in dealing with insurgent groups.

During today’s debate, Surachet Pravinvongvuth, a People’s Party MP, noted that the government’s investment budget had dropped substantially while the fixed budget had increased.

He said most of the investment budget was earmarked for road construction and water-resource development, leaving only small amounts for other areas. He also alleged that most of the investment budget was intended for the same bidders.

Moreover, the Royal Thai Navy has been allocated 100 billion baht for procurement projects.