174 votes from senators greenlight the draft of the 2025 budget bill. The cabinet promises to use the money in a worthwhile, transparent manner, and for the benefit of the people.
The Senate meeting, chaired by Mr. Mongkol Surachat, President of the Senate, considered the draft bill on the annual budget for fiscal year 2025, amounting to 3.75 trillion baht, which the House of Representatives has already voted to approve, and considered the report of the Senate’s Special Committee on the Study of the Draft Budget Bill 2025. Throughout the day, members stood up to debate widely and proceeded smoothly.
After allowing members to discuss in full, and the government representative thanked and accepted the suggestions, concerns, objections and advice from the senators to inform the government and the Cabinet (Cabinet), at 6:04 p.m., the meeting resolved to approve the draft Budget Act for 2025 with a vote of 174 to 3, with 7 abstentions, and agreed with the observations of the committee that will be sent to the C
abinet for further consideration.
Mr. Pichai Chunhavajira, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, as a representative of the government, said that the government would like to thank the chairman and members for approving the draft of the 2025 Budget Expenditure Act, which is considered an important tool to drive government policies, national strategies, and various development plans to ensure stability, happiness for the people, fairness, and inequality reduction, drive sustainable economic growth, and develop a public administration system that meets the needs of the people in all dimensions. For the comments, suggestions, recommendations, and concerns that members have provided throughout the meeting, the government will accept them and will consider improving the operations of budget units so that the people receive the most benefit from the budget. For the observations of the Senate Budget Committee for 2025, which are beneficial to public administration, the government will consider improving op
erations so that resource allocation is worthwhile and maximizes benefits.
‘Please be assured that the policies, measures and budgets approved for this spending will be spent according to the objectives and plans set by the government. The government will supervise and monitor such spending to ensure transparency and achieve the goals set out in order to support the drive and raise the level of economic and social development and the quality of life of the people, along with preserving the environment so that the country can move forward, the people have a better life and more income to achieve the highest goals as hoped by the government and all members of this House,’ said Mr. Pichai.
However, the next step, after the Senate approves, the Secretariat of the House of Representatives will submit the draft of the 2025 Budget Act to the government to submit for royal endorsement to be enacted as law.
Source: Thai News Agency