Showing 21 - 30 of 51
Regime infrastructure push key to growth
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 12/01/2017
» The Prayut Chan-o-cha government's recent push to accelerate domestic investment for this year represents a key milestone on the road to lifting Thailand's economy out of its stagnant state, boosting growth and sharpening its competitive edge. But it remains to be seen whether the state's big-ticket projects will be able to inspire the confidence of private investors and spur an investment spree by the private sector.
Corporate tax changes hold out hope of cleaner society
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 09/06/2016
» When the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) which took the power in 2014, it put some goals, including corruption eradication, and national reform, on its priority list. Such goals are enshrined in the draft charter written by the Constitutional Drafting Committee under Meechai Ruchupan which is up for the referendum on Aug 7.
Sommai tax idea was sound -- this one isn't
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 21/04/2016
» The proposed land and buildings tax which will be imposed on property with an appraisal price of 50 million baht or higher attests to the fact that "fiscal reform" is just lip service.
Savings fund offers safety net for retirees, the state alike
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 13/08/2015
» As we strive to defuse a political timebomb through the roadmap, the country is about to face a potential social timebomb: the emergence of an ageing society as a result of demographic change.
A pressing area for reform is a taxing one
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 26/06/2014
» Will we finally see a reckoning over what is right and wrong? The National Council for Peace and Order wants us to believe so. Among the flurry of recent orders and policy reviews was a directive to the Finance Ministry to submit a comprehensive plan for tax reform by next month.
The ‘patient’ isn’t terminal but needs strong medicine
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 05/06/2014
» Before the coup on May 22, Thailand could be compared to a person suffering from painful indigestion, bloated with gas from months of internal conflict between parties intellectually and emotionally divided. It seemed only a matter of time before something gave way.
Politicians lack long-term vision, so we all suffer
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 03/04/2014
» Like most issues in Thailand today, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
Time to chart new course over rice fiasco
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 13/03/2014
» After three years under Yingluck Shinawatra and her government's rice-pledging policy, where do we stand today? As if the problems of corruption, gargantuan costs and delays in paying rice farmers their due are not bad enough, consider this headline in the Bangkok Post on Feb 26: "Rice farmers poorest in Asean".
Run on GSB funds shows public distrusts rice scheme
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 20/02/2014
» The heavy deposit run at the Government Savings Bank (GSB) may not be a crisis for this century-old institution regarding its accumulated assets worth 2.17 trillion baht. But it is the first time in its 100-year history that the bank, established by King Vajiravudh and run with the well-known "guaranteed by the government" slogan, has been hit with such a credibility loss.
Changing the political system begins with the citizens
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 19/12/2013
» Incremental progress perhaps, but progress nevertheless. No longer is the public debate about the necessity of political reform, but rather when and in what form. People no longer doubt that political change is a prerequisite before tackling other problems, whether it be economic competitiveness, income inequality or educational reform. No, I believe that we have reached a tipping point, one in which all sides of the social, political and economic spectrum agree that change is necessary and overdue if Thailand is to ever move forward.