Bangkok (VNA) - The Thai governmentwill this week consider measures to increase the purchasing power of low-incomegroups and support small businesses.
According to Lavaron Sansnit, director-general of theFiscal Policy Office, the Thai Finance Ministry will urge the government’scentre for economic situation administration to approve the latest stimulusmeasures on September 16 or September 17.
Earlier, the government had said that it planned to spend 45 billion THB toboost consumption among grassroots people and support small businesses.
The Finance Ministry is working out details of the shopping stimulus. Thegovernment will support half of the daily consumption spending by low-incomegroups. The measure is expected to be implemented from October to December.
The measure is aimed at supporting daily spending and reducing the cost ofliving. It it is not a one-time spending on big items, he said. Meanwhile,Anusorn Tamajai, an economist at Rangsit University, suggested that thegovernment target low-income and small businesses, because shopping stimuluspackages in the past had mostly benefited large businesses.
Thegovernment should target the 15 million consumers who hold state welfare cards,he said, adding that each cardholder may receive grants of about 2,500 to 5,000THB cash handout or credit transferred to e-wallet.
If thegovernment spends 45 billion THB, then it would increase transactions in the marketto 180 billion to 270 billion THB, boosting economy growth by 0.3percentage point.
The Bank of Thailand has forecast that the economy will shrink by 8.1 percentthis year due to the impact of COVID-19. More workers are expected to be laidoff if economic recovery is delayed by the threat of a second wave ofinfections./.
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Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly Istvan Jakab expressed his hope for further deepening Hungary’s ties with ASEAN countries and called for their support for Hungary’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
The 30-storey tower crumbled seconds after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit neighbouring Myanmar on March 28. The partially built high-rise, meant to house the State Audit Office (SAO), was the only building in Thailand to collapse, killing 89 people on the site, mostly construction workers.
Indonesia’s waste generation is projected to exceed 50 million tonnes in 2025. Of the total, more than 20 million tonnes could potentially enter the ocean through rivers, coastal areas, small islands, ports, and marine activities, and thereby, pose a risk to coastal ecosystems and marine biota.
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Malaysia’s gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) reached 1.01% of gross domestic product in 2022, a notable increase, with more than 51% contributed by the industry sector. The country is targeting GERD to reach 2.5% by 2030, in line with the national goal of transforming into a high-technology nation.
The facility was established in response to a growing shift in the Filipino labour force from the Middle East to Japan, where workers are seeking safer working environments.
In the latest Indonesia-US trade agreement in July, the US administration agreed to reduce the reciprocal tariff, which was initially set at 32% by US President Donald Trump last April, to 19%.
Real estate agency ERA Singapore estimated that there are 2,703 condo developments in Singapore today, of which 836 or 31% are at least 30 years old. In 10 years, this number is expected to climb to 1,160, assuming none is sold en bloc.
The new framework is designed to ensure that incoming investments deliver tangible national benefits, such as the creation of high-quality jobs for Malaysians and the development of local company ecosystems and technologies.
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Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai on August 7 outlined his strategy for tackling drug problems in Thailand, aiming for a "Zero Drugs Thailand" within three months.
Illustrative image (Source: NationThailand) 
