Chaiwat Sathawornwijit, a Bangkok gubernatorial candidate from the People’s Party, views the issue of parents losing their "state welfare card" rights because their children claimed tax deductions as having illogical figures and reasoning. He urges the Finance Ministry, which issued the policy, to provide clarification.
7 June 2026 GMT+7 Mr. Chaiwat Sathawornwijit, a candidate for Governor of Bangkok from the People’s Party, commented on the criteria for the State Welfare Card or the "state welfare card" . which includes the condition of parents losing eligibility after their children claim tax deductions. He was asked how he views this matter. He said many have already expressed opinions, including Ms. Sirikanya Tansakul, Deputy Leader of the People’s Party. He personally feels that the explanation regarding the numbers and logic is not yet reasonable. He wants the Finance Ministry, as the policy maker, to explain the logic behind it because sometimes parents may have no income, which is an issue that needs improvement. Regarding the question of how, given his previous experience at the Bank of Thailand, he sees solutions or ways to resolve this issue, Mr. Chaiwat said he thinks it is better for the Finance Ministry's policy team to explain. He prefers to focus on presenting policies to stimulate the economy in a different way, such as the current "Thai Help Thai Plus 60/40" program.
If it were under his leadership, he would propose the "Bangkok SME Lottery" policy, which has already been proven in Taiwan to effectively stimulate the economy. It boosts the grassroots economy by increasing transactions at SME shops. Mr. Chaiwat further explained the Bangkok SME Lottery policy, saying that for every 20 baht spent, customers get a chance to win prizes. The lottery would award 10 million baht monthly. Winners would promote it by word of mouth, encouraging more people to shop at SME stores. This system has already started in Lamphun province. He believes the scale in Bangkok would be larger than in Lamphun and would further stimulate spending at shops.