Supachai proposes amending the Public Broadcasting Organization of Thailand (Thai PBS) Act to remove budget funding derived from sin taxes and instead receive an annual government budget allocation.
On 1 Oct 2026, the House of Representatives' website opened for public feedback on the draft amendment to the Public Broadcasting Organization of Thailand Act (no. ..) B.E. [year], proposed by MP Supachai Jaisamut and colleagues.
(1) Amend the organization's capital, assets, and income (amending Section 11 (1)) to "funds received from the annual budget expenditure."
(2) Repeal the collection of maintenance fees from laws on liquor and tobacco (repealing Sections 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16).
The draft bill by MP Supachai Jaisamut states its rationale: The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand mandates strict fiscal discipline to ensure stable and sustainable government finances under the State Fiscal Discipline Act B.E. 2561 (2018). Section 6 of this Act prohibits proposing laws that increase tax or fees beyond existing laws unless for local government revenue. Although Section 82 exempts certain prior laws, these were temporary measures. Therefore, provisions allowing revenue from liquor and tobacco taxes to be retained as maintenance funds without remitting to state revenue contradict fiscal discipline principles. To standardize fiscal discipline, this bill is necessary to repeal conflicting provisions.
The stakeholders involved include:
1. Directly involved parties
1.1 Ministry of Finance
1.2 Public Broadcasting Organization of Thailand (Thai PBS)
1.3 Excise Department
1.4 Customs Department
2. Indirectly involved parties
2.1 Public Relations Department
2.2 National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission
2.3 Federation of Radio and Television Professional Associations
2.4 Thai Broadcast Journalists Association
2.5 Council of Mass Communication Scholars of Thailand
3. General stakeholders
- The public
The consultation questions, open from 30 September to 14 October 2026, include four points:
1. Do you agree or disagree with amending the organization's capital, assets, and income (amending Section 11 (1))? 2. Do you agree or disagree with repealing the collection of maintenance fees from laws on liquor and tobacco (repealing Sections 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16)?
3. Do you believe the Public Broadcasting Organization of Thailand Act B.E. 2551 (2008) has enforcement issues? If so, how? Will this proposed amendment effectively address those problems, and to what extent?
4. Additional comments and suggestions.