The government spokesperson clarified that the news about raising VAT to 10% is fake. He pointed out that Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn was merely responding to legal questions regarding the issuance of a 500 billion baht emergency loan decree and affirmed that this does not bypass civil servants.
At 08:27 on 21 April 2026 GMT+7, Ms. Ratchada Thanadirek, spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, commented on the case where messages circulated on social media claiming VAT would increase from 7% to 10%, stating that it is fake news. The government is only considering measures to alleviate the financial burden on the public.
Ms. Ratchada further addressed criticisms that the government was bypassing civil servants by issuing a royal decree (emergency decree) to borrow 500 billion baht to stabilize the economy during an emergency, noting that senior officials at the Ministry of Finance were not yet aware of this. She explained that Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt merely gave a legal opinion that the emergency loan decree could be issued under Section 172 of the Constitution, which allows emergency or urgent action for the country's economic security, as was done during the COVID-19 crisis. There is no legal issue with this.
When asked whether the current situation meets the criteria of Section 172, the Deputy Prime Minister replied that it does, citing low treasury funds, impacts from the Middle East situation, and the forthcoming super El Niño this year affecting agricultural output. It is necessary to have funds for unforeseen emergencies. Ms. Ratchada added, that in public administration, the government and civil servants must work together and listen to each other. To hastily conclude that decisions are being made bypassing civil servants is an excessive opinion.