Korn Jatikavanich criticized the government for raising fuel prices by 6 baht at once, shifting the burden onto the public and allowing refineries to earn massive profits. He said diesel could reasonably be priced at 50 baht per liter. Meanwhile, the Democrat Party spokesperson unveiled a 6 + 3 formula to immediately reduce fuel prices by 9 baht.
On 26 March 2026, Korn Jatikavanich, party-list MP and Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party, posted on Facebook late on 25 March that he was in parliament until 10 p.m. Upon returning home, he saw news that diesel prices would jump 6 baht at once the next day—from 33 baht per liter to 39 baht immediately. It seemed the government waited until parliament closed before releasing this news, which aligned with his earlier parliamentary speech urging the government not to burden the public alone. Yet, this is exactly what happened that night.
Currently, the oil fund must compensate as much as 27 baht per liter. While he agrees the fund should not bear so much, another key reason for the government’s price hike is the inability to stop hoarding by masked speculators. The government hopes higher prices will reduce hoarding, but this approach inevitably causes great hardship for the people. Not only will fuel prices rise, but prices of all goods will follow suit.
The Democrat Party affirms that the government should not leave the public carrying the entire burden; the government and refineries must also make sacrifices. Regarding refineries, there are three main issues.
First, the pricing method uses Singapore prices including hypothetical transport costs as if oil were shipped from Singapore to Thailand, despite refineries being located in Thailand. This method inflates fuel prices artificially.
Second, refineries currently enjoy windfall profits from crude oil stocks bought at lower prices but now valued much higher.
Third, refining fees have surged to 6.33 baht per liter, triple the pre-crisis level.
Therefore, the Democrat Party proposes that the government collect a 3-baht-per-liter windfall tax into the oil fund. Simultaneously, the government should immediately reduce excise tax by 6 baht per liter (currently at 6.90). If the government heeded this suggestion, it would not need to raise fuel prices by a single baht tomorrow.
Korn stated the government is shifting the entire burden onto the public while letting refineries reap huge profits, without any willingness to sacrifice tax revenue or government expenses. He added that if the government truly "walks the talk" and allows diesel prices to float as the prime minister said, prices will not stop here and could soon reach 50 baht per liter.
Meanwhile, Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, spokesperson for the Democrat Party, expressed serious concern over the fuel price situation, stating that the 6-baht increase should be used to support the people, not to subsidize refineries.
Pongsakorn emphasized that the government must stop blaming the oil fund as a justification to shift the burden onto the public. The 6-baht surge in fuel prices should not end with Thai citizens’ money subsidizing refinery profits. In fact, the government still has other options it has not fully utilized to help the public at this time.
The Democrat Party proposed a solution formula called "6 + 3 = 9 baht reduction," which consists of two main parts as follows.
1. Temporarily reduce excise tax by 6 baht immediately, a measure that can be implemented at once and has been done before during past oil crises to lower costs rather than increasing the burden on the people.
2. Levy a 3-baht windfall tax on refineries. When oil prices are high and refineries earn higher refining fees, excess profits should be reclaimed to help the public. Together, these measures could cut fuel prices by up to 9 baht.
Pongsakorn urged the government to stop prioritizing corporate interests and focus on the hardships of the people, as complaints of unbearable poverty grow louder. He warned the government not to let the public bear the burden while the wealthy profiteers "get richer beyond measure."