Korn urges the government to address the high oil price issue directly, pointing out that reducing excise tax on diesel B7 would help the public more. He warns that the fuel fund debt has exceeded 100 billion baht and calls for genuine reform of the refinery price structure.
On 29 Oct 2026 GMT+7, Korn Chatikavanij, a party-list MP and deputy leader of the Democrat Party, spoke about the oil price problem. He said oil is a key factor influencing people's living costs. Since the Middle East conflict began, the Democrat Party has expressed concern about the government's approach to tackling high oil prices. Oil costs are a major part of production and transportation expenses, which cause all product prices to rise accordingly.
Korn said the Democrat Party proposed that the government consider reducing excise tax on oil, especially diesel B7, which most people use. However, the government did not act on this proposal and instead chose to compensate through the fuel fund, resulting in accumulated debt. Ultimately, the public bears this burden. Currently, the fuel fund debt has surpassed 100 billion baht, which is another reason domestic oil prices remain high despite lower global market prices.
Korn stated that the government's recent excise tax reduction targeted diesel B20, which accounts for less than 10% of overall usage. This approach does not address the core problem because most people, including transport companies, still use diesel B7. They therefore face high oil prices, which in turn increase costs of goods and services.
Regarding the Energy Minister's announcement to restructure oil prices, Korn said the minister previously explained in parliament that referencing Singapore oil prices is unfair. However, the recent cost reductions are only initial steps rather than true reform. For example, the transportation cost reduction affects diesel prices by only about 30 satang per liter. To date, Thailand still uses Singapore oil prices as the reference.
Korn called on the government to seriously pursue oil price structure reform as the Prime Minister has declared a priority agenda. Excise tax cuts or expense reductions should have tangible effects on pump prices. He also referred to a refinery discount negotiation from August totaling 35 baht per liter, which is why he is communicating with the media and public to highlight this issue to the government.