BANGKOK, 23 January 2012 – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Kittiratt Na-Ranong has dismissed the speculation that the worsening traffic congestion in Bangkok and its vicinity is a result of the government’s first-car project.
Mr Kittiratt confirmed that the first-car tax rebate scheme was not the cause of the growing traffic volume in the Bangkok Metropolis, reasoning that only 26% of the new cars were registered in the capital, whereas the rest were registered in other provinces. He also noted that the vehicles under the scheme had been delivered to the buyers in a gradual manner.
At the same time, Mr Kittiratt stated that the tax money that would be returned to the first-car owners had been acquired from the car buyers themselves as well as from other financial sources of the government.
Regarding solutions to the problem of worsening traffic conditions, the deputy premier said public transportation must be improved for higher efficiency and convenience in order to persuade people to use public service instead of personal cars. He said he disagreed with a method to carry out more road construction as roads would definitely not suffice the increasing number of cars in the future.
