Thailand
Thailand: 10m register for purchase co-payment
The half-half co-payment scheme has registered 10 million people, with total accumulative spending tallied at 1.3 billion baht.
The half-half co-payment scheme will subsidise registered individuals who make purchases at small shops, with the government subsidising 50% of receipts.
The government will pay for half of food, drink and general goods purchases totalling up to 150 baht per person per day, capped at 3,000 baht per person for the duration of the scheme.
The scheme has been rolled out for 10 million participants only.
Registration was launched on Oct 16. The scheme is part of the government’s plan to offer 30 billion baht in cash handouts to 10 million people to buy goods during the final quarter of the year, scaling back an earlier plan to give 45 billion baht to 15 million people.
The scheme will be applied from Oct 23 to Dec 31.
The objective is aimed at stimulating consumer spending in the final quarter after sentiment has been gutted by the pandemic crisis.
Accumulative spending totalled 1.26 billion baht as of noon Wednesday. Of the amount, the sum that registered individuals spent was valued at 627 million baht, while the government subsidy totalled 598.5 million. Average spending was registered at 229 per transaction.
All 76 provinces have seen use of the co-payment scheme. The top five provinces logging the most spending amount are Bangkok, Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani and Chiang Mai, respectively.
There are more than 400,000 small stores participating in the half-half co-payment scheme.
The คนละครึ่ง.com website will allow new registrations should some registered individuals fail to meet conditions or do not spend their cash handouts within 14 days.
Pornchai Theeravet, adviser on financial of the Fiscal Policy Office and deputy spokesman at the Finance Ministry, said the ministry and Krungthai Bank, the latter as the system service provider for the scheme, have been collaborating to examine irregular transactions that breach the scheme’s conditions.
Those who violate the scheme’s conditions will be disqualified to use the Pao Tang application, said Mr Pornchai.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2010243/10m-register-for-purchase-co-payment