BANGKOK: The Finance ministry has decided to add smartphones to the list of eligible products as it has become one of the staples of life, says deputy finance minister
The Finance Ministry responded to questions about the government’s digital wallet scheme, saying the 10,000-baht handout can be used to buy several products, including a smartphone.
“Smartphones are a necessity for earning a living nowadays. In fact, one can say it has become the fifth requisite [after food, clothing, shelter and medicines],” Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said on Friday (June 14).
“After thorough consideration from all dimensions, the ministry decided not to leave smartphones out of the list of products that can be bought with the digital money,” he said.
So far, the list of things that cannot be bought with the digital handout includes fuel, services, online products and “sin” products like tobacco, booze, etc.
The handout will be given to registered Thai citizens aged 16 and above who earn no more than 840,000 baht per year and have no more than 500,000 baht in their bank accounts.
The recipients can use this digital money at specific stores within their home districts, while these stores can use the money earned to buy goods from other stores in any location.
Julapun said recipients and stores can start registering for the scheme by the third quarter and the one-time handout will kick off in the fourth quarter as scheduled.
In April, the deputy finance minister said the funds would be distributed via a “super app” created by the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, which all banks can use in an open-loop model. He insisted that the entire process would be transparent.
The campaign will cost about 500 billion baht but is expected to bump up the country’s GDP by 1.2-1.6% through a surge in domestic spending. - The Nation/ANN
