Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today that a proposal to replace earmarked funding from sin taxes with allocations from the state budget for Thai PBS and three other public organisations is now a matter for parliament.
He said the proposal put forward in parliament by Bhumjaithai MP Supachai Jaismut should follow parliamentary procedure, but declined to comment on criticism that the move would amount to government interference or an attempt to control the media.
“It’s a matter for parliament. What he has proposed is in accordance with parliamentary procedure,” Anutin said.
Asked whether he had discussed the proposed amendments with Supachai, Anutin said he had not.
The proposed amendments would change the funding arrangements for four organisations: Thai PBS, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), the Older Persons Fund and the National Sports Development Fund. They currently receive earmarked revenue from alcohol and tobacco taxes, often referred to as “sin taxes”.
Meanwhile, government spokesman Ekkapob Pianpises defended the proposal, saying it would not change the administrative structure of any of the organisations, particularly Thai PBS.
He said the Thai PBS board and its viewers’ network would remain unchanged, with the proposed amendments concerning only the way its budget is allocated and disclosed.
Ekkapob said bringing the funding into the state budget system would make spending more transparent and subject to greater scrutiny.
For example, he said, there would be greater scrutiny of payments such as monthly fees of 300,000 baht for advisers and contracts awarded to closely affiliated networks to produce programmes.
“What the public will get is a Thai PBS that is accountable to the people and which provides the information they really need,” Ekkapob said, stressing that the bills are not intended to alter Thai PBS’s structure.
Responding to concerns that receiving funding from the annual state budget could affect Thai PBS’s news coverage, Ekkapob cited the National Health Security Office (NHSO) as an example of a public organisation whose operations cannot be directly controlled by the government.
He said that although the public health minister chairs the NHSO board, the minister does not have absolute authority over its operations.
The organisation is, however, required to disclose its annual budget and how funds are allocated, including which hospitals receive funding, he said.
By contrast, Thai PBS and ThaiHealth have not provided the same level of disclosure, Ekkapob said, claiming that the proposed changes would give the public greater access to information about their spending.
