Chatchat affirms he never claimed credit for paying BTS debt using decades-old accumulated reserves. He explains that the 2025 budget shows a surplus of 5 billion baht because revenue and expenditure were set equal.
On 7 May 2026, Chatchat Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, explained the case of the 2025 annual budget showing revenue exceeding expenditure by over 5 billion baht. He said that when Bangkok sets its budget, it aims for a balanced budget—revenue equals expenditure. Revenue is estimated before expenses and matched accordingly, because the city does not borrow or plan to earn more than projected. If spending is reduced, a surplus occurs. For example, in 2025, there was a surplus exceeding 5 billion baht. This has happened before, but during COVID-19 revenue dropped, which is normal. The goal is to have as much leftover money as possible because there is debt to be paid to BTS, which does not come from the normal budget but from reserves accumulated continuously over decades. Over 60 billion baht has been used for this. In the future, if this reserve runs out, new management will have no emergency funds. Therefore, efforts are made to manage efficiently to create a margin, and unused money flows into the fund. If emergencies arise, this fund can be used.
Chatchat said he does not claim personal credit for this, as past budgets have had both surpluses and deficits. His policy is to maximize revenue, minimize expenses, and seek the lowest bids in procurement. The surplus may result from winning lower bids and collecting more revenue than projected.
Regarding Pongsakorn Khwanmuang, spokesperson for the Democrat Party and former Bangkok spokesperson, who stated that Bangkok has used reserves since the tenure of Police General Aswin Kwanmuang, former governor, to pay BTS debt, Chatchat responded that he never claimed this money as his own. It is a fund accumulated continuously over time. Previously, efforts were made to replenish this fund. The expenses occurred before his tenure and are the result of past administrations’ work. The statement is correct.