PUBLISHED : 15 Aug 2023 at 12:46
Caretaker Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said on Tuesday the National Committee on the Elderly will have the final say on the new regulation setting income limits on payment of the old-age pension.
The income restrictions, signed by the caretaker interior minister and published in the Government Gazette, have drawn widespread criticism. They apply to new applicants for the age pension, paid to citizens aged 60 years and above.
Responding to reporters’ questions, the minister said the Comptroller General’s Department had given its opinion, that people with other sources of income, such as retirement funds, were not entitled to an age allowance from the state. If paid, the allowance had to be taken back and this would lead to problems.
The National Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security had also discussed the issue, Gen Anupong said.
The ministry then sought an opinion from the Council of State on the existing regulation. The council advised that the regulation was inconsistent with the constitution, which requires that people have a livable income, particularly the needy. This led to the issuing of the new regulation, Gen Anupong said.
The minister said the National Committee on the Elderly would consider how to make payment of the age allowance fair to all. The national committee needed to decide. The caretaker cabinet had no authority to do so, because it was a tie-over responsibility for the new government and required the allocation of a large government budget.
However, the caretaker government had already set guidelines for this issue, he said.
Existing recipients of the age allowance would continue to receive it and, for now, new applicants could also get it based on the old regulation, Gen Anupong said. He hoped this would allay people’s concerns over the new regulation.
The new regulation, setting income limits, was signed by Gen Anupong and published in the Royal Gazette, and said to be effective from Aug 12.
The old regulation was for local administrations to pay universal monthly allowances of 600-1,000 baht to all elderly people – 600 baht for people aged 60-69, 700 baht for people aged 70-79, 800 baht for people aged 80-89, and 1,000 baht for people aged 90 years or more.
However, the new regulation states that only people with no income, or insufficient income to cover the cost of living, are entitled to the monthly age allowance from the state.
The new regulation drew strong opposition key members from the Move Forward and Thai Sang Thai parties.
Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, a Move Forward list MP, on Monday slammed the new regulation, saying it would have a severe impact on people turning 60. The requirement for the elderly to prove their poverty may prevent them receiving state welfare, which was in breach of this law, said the outspoken MP.
Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, leader of the Thai Sang Thai Party, said the new criterion for receipt of the monthly allowance for the aged was a serious violation of the principle of universal coverage for state welfare, and it was discriminatory.