The Bhumjaithai Party has proposed an innovative solution to make commuting more affordable for residents of Bangkok and its surrounding provinces. The party’s plan is to offer a 40-baht daily transport pass, giving holders unlimited rides on the city’s electric rail network for a 24-hour period. This move would reduce the cost of commuting to approximately 800-1,000 baht per month, encouraging more people to use electric trains and help decrease fine dust pollution.
This one-day-pass election pledge stems from collaborative efforts by transport experts and the party’s new generation of politicians, according to the party’s election director for Bangkok, Buddhipongse Punnakanta. Despite the development of electric rail lines to enhance commuting affordability, fares for the city’s skytrain lines and subway networks remain inaccessible for some residents, particularly when traveling across multiple rail lines.
In addition to the daily transport pass proposal, the Chartpattanakla Party has highlighted four crucial issues impacting people’s finances. First, the party aims to address high energy prices by adjusting practices within the oil refinery industry to lower fuel costs. Second, the party advocates for the abolition of the credit bureau’s blacklisting practice, in favor of adopting a credit scoring system to determine an individual’s creditworthiness based on a broad range of factors.
Third, Chartpattanakla plans to exempt those earning 40,000 baht or less per month from paying income tax, which, although reducing government tax revenue by 21 billion baht annually, would assist many in coping with the rising cost of living. Finally, the party calls for the digitization of government work to enhance coordination between state agencies and combat corruption.
In the realm of education, the Pheu Thai Party’s campaign manifesto emphasizes allowing undergraduate students to earn income while studying. The policy focuses on distributing a computer tablet with free internet access to each child to broaden access to education. A comprehensive digital education platform titled “Learn to Earn” will be implemented, supporting the party’s push for creating income opportunities for undergraduates. Students would also learn English, Chinese, and coding from Grade 1 onwards.
Lastly, the Chartthaipattana Party proposed inviting private businesses to invest in solar farms for generating clean energy for households. Any surplus generated would be sold to authorities, and the proceeds would be distributed among private investors, households, and local administrative organizations. This long-term strategy to lower electricity prices would involve scrutinizing government contracts for the production and supply of power to ensure fairness to the state and positively affect electricity price structures for households.
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