Budget Shows No Vision, Trapped by Legal Constraints

On July 1, 2569, Karun Jatigvanich, a Democrat Party list MP, stated that when a new government takes office, a policy statement presents a plan while a budget speech proves whether the government will actually execute that plan. After three days of parliamentary debate on budget allocation, he concluded there is significant disappointment and doubts that fiscal year 2570's policies can drive forward the government's previously announced strategies. He identified numerous allocation problems: the drug-control strategy received over 9,000 million baht, yet nearly half was allocated for events and disaster relief rather than preventive measures. Grassroots budgets for community self-reliance received no allocation. Both opposition and government-side members expressed concerns about scattered budget priorities affecting farmers, air pollution, and general welfare, reflecting the budget's lack of vision.

Karun highlighted a structural problem: Thailand's fiscal year 2570 has recurring expenditures equal to 3 trillion baht in national income, meaning every baht of investment must come from borrowing and carry interest burdens. This creates dependency on loan returns that must justify the debt service. The government faces two legal constraints: the Fiscal Discipline Act mandates at least 20% of the budget for investment while allowing deficits not exceeding 20% of total budget. Karun warned that government revenue collection quality has declined annually over the past 4-5 years relative to overall economic growth, suggesting future recurring expenditures will exceed revenues, requiring borrowing merely to pay civil service salaries, elderly allowances, and existing debt. This creates a vicious cycle requiring annual emergency decrees for loans to cover routine expenses, potentially necessitating amendments to the Fiscal Discipline Act. He urged genuine structural budget reform before investor flight worsens the crisis.