BANGKOK, 15 June 2015 -The National Reform Council (NRC) committee on local administrative reform has spoken out against the budget cuts at the local level for the 2016 fiscal year.
Kriangkrai Phoomaochaeng, an NRC member, spoke regarding the 2016 fiscal budget, urging Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha to reconsider this year’s budget allocated to the local administration.
According to current plans, 47 billion Baht has been allocated to the salaries of local administrative staff including the costs of operating local bureaucracies. This amount is a far cry from the 61.38 billion Baht allocated for the same purpose in the 2014 fiscal year, he noted.
The cuts have been done against the backdrop of salary hikes for civil servants and increased welfare assistance for the disabled, Mr. Kriangkrai said, adding that much less money has been earmarked for local projects.
The NRC member also questioned the benefit of this budget cut, and called on the Bureau of the Budget and the Ministry of Interior to carefully consider the implications of the decision.
