The Bhumjaithai Party has proposed overhauling the way Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) is funded by scrapping its earmarked share of alcohol and tobacco taxes, worth up to 2 billion baht a year, and making annual government budget allocations its main source of funding.
The proposed amendment to the Thai Public Broadcasting Organisation Act has entered the parliamentary process and been classified as a finance bill.
The House Secretariat has also opened the draft for public comment, according to Supachai Jaisamut, an MP and chairman of the Bhumjaithai legal affairs committee who proposed the bill.
Under the current system, Thai PBS receives 1.5% of revenue collected from alcohol and tobacco taxes. The Excise and Customs departments transfer the money directly to Thai PBS without first remitting it to the state treasury.
The bill would repeal Sections 12 to 16 of the Thai PBS Act to end the earmarked funding arrangement and amend Section 11(1) to require Thai PBS to seek annual funding through the government’s budget process and parliamentary approval, as other state agencies do.
Mr Supachai said in the bill’s explanatory memorandum that the changes would bring Thai PBS funding into line with constitutional fiscal-discipline requirements.
He cited Section 26 of the State Fiscal and Financial Discipline Act of 2018, which prohibits the imposition of taxes or fees for a state agency’s own use without first remitting the revenue to the state, except for local administrative organisations.
The bill’s proponents acknowledge that Section 82 allows existing arrangements of this kind to remain in force, but argue that it was intended as a transitional exemption rather than a permanent exception.
The proposed changes would return the funding of Thai PBS to the state’s normal revenue system. Mr Supachai said this would establish a uniform fiscal-discipline standard for government agencies.
The House consultation will remain open until mid-October.