Showing 1 - 10 of 36
Policy options for an overvalued baht
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 25/12/2025
» This is the last article of 2025. I have to thank readers for following my articles throughout the years. I believe I wrote my first article for the Bangkok Post in January 2020. So, it has been a five-year collaboration with the paper. Thank you, Bangkok Post.
VAT hikes alone won't narrow deficit
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 27/11/2025
» This article is not meant to attack Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas’s Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) for the fiscal years from 2026 to 2030. It is meant to emphasise the fragility of a Thai fiscal position that requires multiple revenue enhancement measures.
Thailand now 'the sick man of Asean'
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 30/10/2025
» The inspiration for this article comes from the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) World Economic Outlook (WEO) report for the month of October.
Govt may not have stimulus plan tools
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 16/10/2025
» Nowadays, governments around the world sound like movie production houses. They always come up with catchy slogans for their policies, like Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill.
Making Cambodia pay for border row
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 02/10/2025
» What I am covering today is a sensitive issue that all economic research houses, both government and private, avoid talking about. That is the economic impact of the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.
1% GDP growth impacts will be severe
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 21/08/2025
» Where did I get the idea that GDP growth in the second half of 2025 would only be 1.0%? The answer is the government, as the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) told me so.
Tariff talks are unlikely to go as planned
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 24/07/2025
» It is only a week away from the Aug 1 deadline when the 36% reciprocal tariff levied on Thai exports to the US will take effect.
Don't let politics mask economic woes
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 26/06/2025
» As if economic problems in Thailand are not bad enough, political issues add to the complications. The worst is the split in the coalition. Even with an overwhelming majority of 314 (out of 493 parliamentary seats) prior to the break-up, the government could not push for many major policies, including the 10,000 baht cash handout scheme.
Ability to pay key to debt restructuring
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 03/04/2025
» Last week's earthquake has provided Thais with two valuable lessons. First, Thailand has no national disaster management plan. No government agency seems to have had carefully thought-out plans and procedures to manage the situation. All measures were carried out on an ad-hoc basis. Worse, there appears to be no coordination among various agencies. Thais were left to rely on their own two feet as thousands of Bangkokians had no choice but to walk for hours to their homes when the mass transit railways were shutdown.
Risk of financial crisis creeps ever closer
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 06/02/2025
» When I started writing this article last week, I said to myself: "This might be another article no one will believe." Financial crisis? You must be out of your mind. The situation seems to be under control and it is likely to improve in 2025. After all, the Ministry of Finance has projected GDP growth for this year to be 2.5% to 3.5%, with a base case of 3.0%. No crisis can happen under such healthy growth, surely.