The Ministry of Finance is considering extending the Thai Chai Thai Plus measure by about 2 months, covering October to November, in line with the directive of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. The payment formula may be adjusted from 60/40 back to 50/50, or half-and-half, because it uses a smaller budget but reaches more people over a longer period. A source at the Ministry of Finance said the proposal going to the loan-spending screening committee is a 2-month extension, topping up 1,000 baht per person, or 500 baht per month, under the same number of entitlements. It would draw on the 400-billion-baht emergency loan decree, specifically the first 200 billion baht under the relief plan, of which more than 40 billion baht remains after 175 billion baht was approved but only 159 billion baht actually used, out of 30 million entitlements with about 26 million used. If that is not enough, funds can be shifted from the later 200-billion-baht energy transition plan. Lavaron Sangsnit, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance, said the need for an extension stems from crude oil prices surging back above 100 US dollars per barrel amid the prolonged conflict in the Middle East. The screening committee will expedite its review to submit to the Cabinet before the program ends on September 30. Meanwhile, the Economic and Business Research Center of Siam Commercial Bank estimates that Thai Chai Thai Plus helped boost third-quarter economic growth by about 0.2% to 0.3% and has raised its 2026 GDP forecast to 2.2% growth, but without an extension the fourth quarter is likely to grow only 1% to 2%. The research division of Krungsri Securities estimates that a 2-month extension would inject about 70 to 72 billion baht of new money circulating into the economy, equal to about 0.4% of GDP. Thanavath Phonvichai, president of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, sees no need for an extension and says other measures should be pushed forward to take over instead.
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