Groups push for 3,000-baht pension for all seniors

Activists and academics are calling for the government to provide a universal pension of 3,000 baht per month for senior citizens. Four Regions Slum Network said that the current allowance often less than one-third of that amount per month is simply not enough for seniors to live on, even with supplementary income.

At present, the elderly in Thailand receive a paltry 600 and 1,000 baht per month to ease their financial burden. The exact amount is dependent on their age.

The People’s Network for the Welfare State is rallying for the 3,000-baht pension for all seniors. They said that pressure needs to be put on political parties to take action and enact a universal policy. Several parties, including the Move Forward Party, Prachachat Party, and Thai Sang Thai Party are already supporting the policy.

Since 2020, the People’s Network has been trying to make a national pension part of government policy and has proposed a National Pension Bill to parliament. The petition garnered over 10,000 signatures, but the universal 3,000-baht pension plan has not yet gained significant traction in parliament.

The Faculty of Economics at Thammasat University suggested that the pension should be given universally, rather than just to targeted needy groups.

“If the allowance is given only to targeted groups like the poor, there will be many poor people who are erroneously left out of the programme.”

They argued that even 3,000 baht per month would be a struggle for most people. The faculty also pointed out that the pensions that bureaucrats get each month are much higher than those sent to the general public.

He suggested that instead of worrying about not having the money in the budget to pay for pensions for the elderly, authorities should stop offering tax deductions to the wealthiest 20% of the population. They called on the government to start collecting taxes from those who are currently omitted from the tax database.