The Democrat Party severely criticized the government's failure in managing oil, complaining that although costs decreased, retail prices surged, and the oil fund is burdened with mounting debt.
On 25 September 2026, Mr. Teerath Sirichantaropas, energy economic team member of the Democrat Party and expert advisor to the Energy Commission of the House of Representatives, revealed that Thailand’s oil price structure is clearly abnormal. On 24 September, the refinery gate price of diesel B7 was 37.49 baht per liter, but the retail price rose to 41.44 baht per liter. By comparison, on 21 September, the refinery gate price was 39.33 baht per liter, with retail at 40.69 baht per liter. This shows that although costs dropped by nearly 2 baht per liter, retail prices increased by almost 1 baht per liter.
Mr. Teerath pointed out that this problem stems from mismanagement of the 'Fuel Oil Fund.' When global oil prices fell, the fund reduced compensation rates to use money for accumulated debt payments, meaning the public did not benefit from lower oil prices. However, when global prices rose, retail prices increased immediately, leaving the public to bear the burden alone. This contradicts the fund’s principle of stabilizing prices to reduce volatility and ease living costs.
Moreover, the fuel oil fund’s accumulated debt, nearing 100 billion baht, is impacting the country’s energy stability and poses legal risks. This is because on 24 September 2026, the government subsidy for biofuel under Section 55 of the 2019 Fuel Oil Fund Act expired, yet the government continues to use fund money to compensate biofuel costs.
The Democrat Party therefore proposes the government restructure its approach by not passing biofuel costs onto consumers at the pump. Instead, it should directly support farmers producing palm oil, sugarcane, and cassava, or consider using funds from the Energy Transition Loan Decree to provide subsidies. This would help promote the grassroots economy and genuinely strengthen energy security.