Showing 1 - 10 of 44
BoT baulks at govt bid to drop debt in its lap
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 05/01/2012
» The debate over the past several days regarding who should hold responsibility for the 1.14-trillion-baht in outstanding liabilities from the Financial Institutions Development Fund, should serve as a clear wake-up call about the dangers and costs of poor policy.
How politicians exploit the civil service
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 16/02/2012
» I had an opportunity to sit down with a senior technocrat the other day and exchange views on the economy, politics and everyday life.
Self-interested MPs kill Korn's assets tax
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 29/03/2012
» For more than two decades, the tax authorities have sought to shift the focus away from income-related taxes towards asset-based taxes.
Let's address the cause, not just the symptoms
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 10/05/2012
» The shadow of Thaksin Shinawatra has never faded from Thai politics since his sweeping rise to power over one decade ago. One of the signature policies that helped Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai Party romp to victory was a pledge to suspend debt payments for millions nationwide, ostensibly to help address the perennial problem of indebtedness suffered by small-scale farmers.
Public spending needs doing right
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 12/07/2012
» The battle lines have already been drawn. On one side, we have Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong and the government's economic policy makers, while on the other are opposition politicians and private economists.
Stop betting the farm on Thai rice
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 02/08/2012
» Last year's floods cost Thailand more than 1 trillion baht thanks to a perfect storm of years of insufficient infrastructure investment, poor crisis management, haphazard zoning and unusually heavy seasonal rains.
Solving poverty goes beyond writing cheques
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 04/10/2012
» The pungent smell of tobacco, urine and sweat reek of despair and degradation in the heat of the noon sun. How can they stand it? Hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, many old, some young, spread out on simple bamboo mats laid out on the asphalt in hopes of attracting attention from those beyond the tall steel gates.
'Eat more rice' policy is a better way to go
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 25/10/2012
» No doubt, Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom knows many things that we don't. Fair enough. Policy-makers have their own reasons on what to keep behind closed doors and what should be discussed in public.
Tax relief for millions unlikely
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 15/11/2012
» There are few policy decisions more sensitive for any elected politician than changes in the tax code. To be more accurate, few decisions are more politically touchy than raising taxes. After all, job security for any politician is directly tied to their popularity among voters. It takes a brave leader indeed to risk the ire of the populace by taking money from their pockets.
We need enriching, in happiness and wealth
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 06/12/2012
» Everyone has dreams. Everyone needs to have a dream, as it is human imagination which lends us the strength to strive and struggle for our betterment and to attempt what we would never imagine possible or achievable.