Phaethongtharn visited Mae Kampong to assist Chakraphon in campaigning to upgrade OTOP products. Dr. Ming countered criticism that the “Create 9 Millionaires Daily” policy is a handout, explaining it is actually a method to raise government revenue, citing Taiwan’s successful implementation.
On 24 Jan 2026 at 17:20, reporters noted that Ms. Phaethongtharn Shinawatra, former prime minister and leader of the Pheu Thai family faction, posted on Facebook about visiting to support Mr. Chakraphon Tangsutthitham, candidate for Chiang Mai’s 3rd district from Pheu Thai Party. She wrote, “Mae Kampong village with P'Top Chakraphon Tangsutthitham focuses on community-based conservation development, encouraging tourists to respect and sustain the local way of life. P'Top aims to further develop OTOP alongside upgrading community product processing to improve quality, aesthetics, market reach, and pricing. Villagers gain upskilling and reskilling at all levels, making Mae Kampong a sought-after destination. Please support P'Top number 8 in Chiang Mai’s 3rd district.”
Dr. Promin Lertsuridej explained the intent of the “Create 9 Millionaires Daily” policy on his personal Facebook, stating that the policy is misunderstood as a cash giveaway, whereas it is actually a revenue-raising mechanism for the state. It builds on successes from various countries, especially Taiwan, which uses a receipt lottery system (Uniform Invoice Lottery) that has increased tax revenue by an average of 20% annually.
Dr. Promin stated that if Thailand could increase tax revenue collection by just over 10%, it would generate an additional 100 billion baht annually for the state, with only 3.285 billion baht spent on prize budgets. This represents a worthwhile investment compared to the current value-added tax (VAT) revenue of 800–900 billion baht per year.
“We are not merely creating new millionaires; we are building a sustainable welfare system. The increased revenue will fund national modernization. Most importantly, the government will gain vast amounts of data to leverage AI technology for more precise and targeted policy planning,” Dr. Promin said.
This policy is viewed as a key tool to gradually bring the informal economy into the tax system through incentives offered by prizes, which will benefit Thailand’s fiscal stability in the long term.
Reporters noted that Pheu Thai Party details the policy on its website, explaining it will award nine daily prizes of 1 million baht each, using a lottery system based on 13-digit national ID numbers and e-receipt numbers. Target groups include income tax filers (1 prize), seniors aged 60 and over (1 prize), registered farmers (1 prize), community volunteers such as health volunteers, rescue volunteers, and unpaid government volunteers (1 prize), and five prizes for consumers with VAT receipts. Citizens can earn entries by requesting receipts for every purchase, regardless of value, from department stores to small shops. This approach stimulates household economies and creates opportunities to improve lives while providing the government with accurate, timely data to use AI for designing fair, targeted assistance policies, reducing inequality and enhancing budget allocation efficiency.
