Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, revealed that the preliminary assessment of the government’s economic stimulus measures—such as the Half-Half Plus Project, the State Welfare Card Top-Up Project, the “Tiew Dee Mee Khuen” Project, and the acceleration of government budget disbursement—indicates that these initiatives played a crucial role in supporting the Thai economy, especially in the fourth quarter of 2025, preventing a severe slowdown. He further expects the economy to expand by more than 1%, compared to the previous estimate of just 0.3%.
After discussions with the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), both sides agreed that the measures implemented over the past two months have had a clear impact on the economy.
The design of these measures focused on dispersing rather than concentrating financial flows, particularly the “Tiew Dee Mee Khuen” project which has promoted tourism in secondary cities, and the Half-Half Plus Project, with only 15-16% of spending occurring in Bangkok while over 85% was distributed to upcountry areas. In addition, government budget disbursement in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025 increased by 5% compared to the same period the previous year.
Ekniti also stated that the economic stimulus measures enacted under the “Quick Big Win Five Pillars One Foundation” policy will encourage tangible economic recovery, as these are practical measures with clear financial effects and no leakage. He believes these measures will boost economic growth in 2025 by at least 0.2%. The NESDC will release the official figures in February 2026.
Regarding the Thailand Individual Savings Account (TISA) project, he admitted that it could not be pushed through to completion due to the dissolution of parliament.
The main proposal of TISA is to provide a permanent tax deduction totaling a maximum of THB 800,000, with adjustable deduction multipliers based on income levels. Relevant agencies are open to suggestions to further refine these proposals.
Meanwhile, the “Savings Plus” project promoted by the Public Debt Management Office is currently under legal review by the Office of the Council of State to ensure proper and thorough procedures before launching as planned at the beginning of 2026.
