BANGKOK, Sept 17 — Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly (NLA) approved the government’s Bt2.5 trillion deficit budget bill for Fiscal 2015, which begins October 1.
The first draft law approved by the Assembly since the interim government was formed earlier this month, the budget bill sailed through its third reading Tuesday night after receiving 142 votes from the NLA.
The secretariat of the Cabinet, after receiving the approved draft of the budget bill, will forward it to His Majesty the King for royal endorsement.
Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha told the NLA during the session that the 2015 budget increased only Bt50 billion from the current fiscal and after deducting from the government necessary expenditure, his interim government would have little money for investment during the coming year.
The government has set aside an investment budget for 14 projects, and to prevent redundance in spending the money, a formed a committee to monitor how the money was spent, Gen Prayuth told the Assembly.
Gen Prayuth said he was not angry at the NLA for cutting a portion of the proposed budget. He emphasised that every project must be carried out transparently and that action would be taken against any corruption.
Deputy Prime Minister/Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, meanwhile, told journalists today his ministry’s budget this year is less than in the 2014 fiscal year.
Next fiscal year’s budget was cut to 1.4 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) compared to 1.7 per cent of GDP in the current fiscal year, said Gen Prawit.
