PUBLISHED : 31 Aug 2024 at 06:05
The House of Representatives is set to conduct the second and third readings of the 2025 fiscal year budget bill next week, following reports that the proposed spending plan has been reduced by nearly 8 billion baht.
House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has scheduled the budget expenditure debate for September 3-5, after a dedicated committee completed its review of the bill.
The budget bill, amounting to 3.75 trillion baht, passed its first reading in June with overwhelming support—311 votes in favor, 175 against, and two abstentions.
A 72-member special committee was established for the bill’s scrutiny, comprising 18 representatives from the cabinet and 54 from both government and opposition parties.
Chaired by Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira, the committee has reportedly trimmed the spending plan by 7.8 billion baht. Key areas impacted by the budget cuts include:
The budget for revolving funds across various agencies has been reduced by 2.1 billion baht, affecting programs such as the Village Fund (2 billion baht), Science Research and Innovation Fund (100 million baht), and National Saving Fund (10 million baht). Additionally, integrated scheme funds have seen a reduction of 788 million baht.
The Defence Ministry faces a nearly 1.18 billion baht cut, with specific reductions of 688 million baht for the army, 151 million baht for the navy, and 113 million baht for the air force, primarily impacting construction and renovation projects.
Furthermore, the Interior Ministry’s allocation has been slashed by 395 million baht, with the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation experiencing a 44 million baht reduction that will impact disaster warning system development, and the Department of Public Works facing a 100 million baht cut affecting river embankment projects across several provinces.
Additionally, the Prime Minister’s Office will see budget decreases of 371 million baht, affecting agencies like the Internal Security Operations Command (108 million baht), the National Cyber Security Agency (11 million baht), and the Digital Government Development Agency (4 million baht).
Lastly, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives will face a 367 million baht budget cut, impacting drought and flood study programs as well as environmental impact assessments.