The opening for registration and eligibility verification for the new round of the "State Welfare Card" from 4 to 21 June 2026 immediately became a hot topic after the Ministry of Finance introduced criteria to remove "false poor" individuals from the system. One of the most criticized conditions is that "any person whose name is used to claim tax deductions as a father, mother, spouse, or child will be immediately disqualified." Tags: [State Welfare Card, Ministry of Finance, eligibility criteria, tax deduction, social welfare]
This condition means that if any child claims a tax deduction for supporting a parent aged 60 or older, that parent will lose the right to receive government aid through the poor card. This immediately raised questions in society about whether this criterion is "appropriate" and, financially, which option is "more worthwhile"—allowing the child the tax deduction or the parent receiving the State Welfare Card benefits?Tags: [tax deduction, government aid, social welfare, family support, financial impact]
Regarding appropriateness, there are two contrasting perspectives reflecting fundamentally different views.Tags: [policy debate, social perspectives, contrasting views]
Government perspective (policy screening): The government views that the purpose of the State Welfare Card is to assist truly vulnerable groups without support. If a child earns enough income to pay taxes and chooses to support their parents (per tax regulations), it reflects that the family structure still has the capacity to care for itself. Therefore, the government wants to allocate the budget to help those who are genuinely lacking and have no caregivers.Tags: [government policy, social welfare, family support, budget allocation]
Public perspective (social reality): Many see this criterion as "too strict" because a child earning above the minimum tax threshold (for example, a salary of 20,000–30,000 baht) does not necessarily mean wealth. The 30,000 baht tax deduction is a legal right to ease the burden on the middle class. Disqualifying parents seems like "punishing" grateful children who try to care for their parents amid the high cost of living in 2026.Tags: [public opinion, tax policy, middle class, social fairness, cost of living]
To clarify, let's calculate and compare the annual financial benefits (assuming the average value of the State Welfare Card is about 300–500 baht per month, including various discounts, roughly totaling 4,000–6,000 baht per year).Tags: [financial analysis, welfare value, annual benefits]
By tax law, children can claim a tax deduction of 30,000 baht per parent, but the actual tax savings depend on the child's tax bracket as follows:Tags: [tax law, tax deduction, parental support]
Child's tax base (net income)Tags: [tax base, net income] | Tax rateTags: [tax rate] | Tax savings for child (baht/year)Tags: [tax savings, annual amount] | Value of parent's State Welfare Card (baht/year)Tags: [welfare card value, annual amount] | Summary of financial worthinessTags: [financial summary, cost-benefit] |
Income up to 150,000 bahtTags: [income bracket, low income] | 0%Tags: [tax rate] | 0 bahtTags: [tax savings] | Approximately 4,000–6,000 bahtTags: [welfare value] | ❌ Not worthwhile: Child gains no tax benefit but parent loses welfare benefits for freeTags: [financial disadvantage, welfare loss] |
150,001–300,000 bahtTags: [income bracket, lower middle income] | 5%Tags: [tax rate] | 1,500 bahtTags: [tax savings] | Approximately 4,000–6,000 bahtTags: [welfare value] | ❌ Not worthwhile: Parents receive more welfare benefits than the child's tax savingsTags: [financial comparison, welfare benefits] |
300,001–500,000 bahtTags: [income bracket, middle income] | 10%Tags: [tax rate] | 3,000 bahtTags: [tax savings] | Approximately 4,000–6,000 bahtTags: [welfare value] | ⚠️ Borderline: Welfare benefits may be slightly higher or roughly equalTags: [financial balance, comparison] |
500,001–750,000 bahtTags: [income bracket, upper middle income] | 15%Tags: [tax rate] | 4,500 bahtTags: [tax savings] | Approximately 4,000–6,000 bahtTags: [welfare value] | ⚖️ Comparable: Values are very closeTags: [financial comparison, equivalence] |
750,001–1,000,000 baht and aboveTags: [income bracket, high income] | 20%–35%Tags: [tax rate] | 6,000–10,500 bahtTags: [tax savings] | Approximately 4,000–6,000 bahtTags: [welfare value] | Worthwhile: Child saves a larger amount of tax than the government's welfare paymentTags: [financial benefit, tax savings] |
Statistical summary: If a child has a moderate to lower income (tax base 0%–10%), allowing parents to keep the State Welfare Card rights results in a higher total family income. However, if the child is in a higher income bracket (tax base 20% or above), choosing the tax deduction option offers greater financial benefits to the family.Tags: [statistical summary, family income, tax policy]
The new government criteria in 2026, while helping plug budget leaks and screening out "false poor" individuals to some extent, also force lower middle-class families to choose between their child's tax deduction rights and the monthly subsistence of their elderly parents.Tags: [government policy, budget control, family dilemma, social welfare]
Ultimately, the value is not just about the "numbers" but about which amount reaches those who truly need it and provides greater peace of mind in living. Each family must carefully assess tax figures and come to a joint decision before the eligibility confirmation deadline on 21 June.Tags: [financial decision, family planning, social welfare, deadline]