491 Organizations Urge Anutin to Withdraw Four Amendment Bills
The user wants a short summary (1-2 sentences, 120-220 chars, max 240) of the article about 491 organizations urging Anutin to withdraw four amendment bills. The summary must be in English, plain, factual, lead with what happened, then one
On October 27, 2026, the People's Health Promotion Movement and its network partners released a statement signed by 491 organizations urging Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and the Bhumjaithai Party to withdraw or not endorse four draft amendment bills: the Health Promotion Support Fund Act (No. ...), the Public Relations Organization of Thailand Act (No. ...), the Elderly Fund Act (No. ...), and the National Sports Development Fund Act (No. ...).
These amendments would abolish the earmarked tax system that currently allocates sin tax revenue from alcohol and tobacco to specific funds and organizations, replacing it with annual budget allocations. The government cites state fiscal discipline as the primary justification, but critics argue this threatens the stability, continuity, and independence of funding for public health missions.
The coalition opposes the move for three main reasons. First, it diverts public funds directly and dismantles the earmarked budget system based on the "polluter pays" principle, designed to address complex health and social problems with predictable funding insulated from political and commercial interference. Even WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sent an open letter to Prime Minister Anutin requesting reconsideration, while numerous legal scholars, economists, and social scientists have voiced opposition.
Second, the amendments lack comprehensive impact assessment and conflict with Section 82 of the State Fiscal and Financial Discipline Act B.E. 2561, which protects fund-establishment laws enacted before 2018. All four funds were created under pre-2018 legislation and are therefore legally protected.
Third, the move benefits the tobacco industry and undermines social movements. Credible reports reveal the tobacco industry has a documented strategy to dismantle earmarked sin tax systems globally by feeding governments misleading information. Repealing this policy would save businesses an estimated 14 billion baht annually in additional taxes while weakening civil society efforts to counter alcohol and tobacco marketing and related industries.
