Showing 81 - 90 of 121
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".
Evading taxes shortchanges the nation's potential
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 24/04/2014
» Boosting the tax base has been on the horizon of policymakers for years. After all, only 10 million people file tax returns out of a population of 67 million. Simple maths suggests that whether out of ignorance or intention, there are plenty who simply are not meeting their civic duties.
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.
Fighting corruption while ignoring the rice scheme
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 30/01/2014
» Rice farmers are waiting anxiously for money from the government for their pledged crops. And taxpayers are also feeling that they are being robbed in broad daylight by the government which has defiantly dismissed all the warnings about the flaws of the rice-pledging scheme.
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.
How our political landscape became stuck in an ice age
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 28/11/2013
» For much of the past decade, our political agenda has seemingly been frozen in the past. Rather than debate where we are and where we want to go, the focus of the country's main political parties can be simplified into two diametrically opposing positions: How to bring Thaksin Shinawatra home on one hand, and how to erase his influence from policymaking once and for all on the other.
Rice scheme tests limits of fiscal prudence
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 09/01/2014
» Imagine this scenario. You want to remodel your kitchen with some new cabinets, floor tiles and appliances, which your contractor will do for 50,000 baht and two days' work.
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.
For higher returns, invest in human capital
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 17/10/2013
» The government has clamoured for months about the necessity of its 2-trillion-baht borrowing programme to help modernise our road and rail infrastructure. While many question the approach and methodology of how the programme will be financed, vetted and structured, few doubt that more public investment is sorely needed to support the country's growth over the next several decades.
Counting the cost of Pheu Thai's recklessness
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 07/11/2013
» The passing of the contentious amnesty bill by the House in a rush last Friday was the final step in the Pheu Thai Party's plan to bring back home their leader Thaksin Shinawatra.