Pension puzzle: Fake news or lifeline for Thai seniors?
Thailand’s 13 million pensioners are praying their monthly state subsidy – fixed since 2011 despite surging living costs – is about to rise despite rumours and confusion.
Track Thailand's economy in English — business, trade, finance and market news, covered by Thai PBS World, Thailand's public broadcasting service.
Thailand’s 13 million pensioners are praying their monthly state subsidy – fixed since 2011 despite surging living costs – is about to rise despite rumours and confusion.
The Ministry of Commerce is promoting Thai herbs as part of the country’s soft power, boosted by growing global demand and traditional Thai wisdom in a variety of herbal extracts.
During the latest round of tariff negotiations, via video conference on Wednesday, the United States proposed that Thailand increase market access for US-made products, reduce non-tariff barriers and promote US investment in Thailand US, Deputy Commerce Minister Chantawit Tantasith told the media today.
Thailand’s negotiators are scheduled to hold tariff talks with the US Trade Representative (USTR) via video conference soon, amidst concerns from the Thai private sector and a House committee that Thailand may follow the footsteps of Vietnam and Indonesia, by proposing the removal of all tariffs on imports of US goods, in exchange for substantial tariff cuts.
The government will set aside about 200 billion baht in soft loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to cushion the impacts of new tariffs on import of Thai goods to the US market.
Thailand is considering offering zero tariffs on more U.S. imports, the finance minister said on Monday.
A top private sector alliance has proposed that the government exempt imports of most US-made products from import taxes—similar to those under free trade agreements—in hopes of prompting the Trump administration to reconsider the 36% reciprocal tariff on Thai goods entering the US market.
Thailand is being urged to act swiftly to avert an economic crisis, following US administration’s announcement of a 36% tariff on Thai goods imported into the US.
Former finance minister Korn Chatikavanij said today that the Thai negotiating position on tariff talks has misjudged its US counterpart, with its win-win approach, as the US believes that Thailand has enjoyed a trade surplus for a long time and it is now about time for the US to reverse the position.
Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira admitted today that he is somewhat surprised by the US administration’s imposition of a 36% tariff on goods from Thailand, but he is remains optimistic that there is still room to negotiate before the new August 1st deadline.
US President Donald Trump has announced a new wave of “reciprocal” tariffs, set to take effect on August 1, 2025, targeting over a dozen countries—including Thailand, which now faces a steep 36% tariff on its exports to the United States.
Thailand’s headline inflation rate for June was down for the third consecutive month, largely due to the falling prices of fuel and fresh food, said Poonpong Naiyanapakorn, director of the Commerce Ministry’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office, today.