BANGKOK (NNT) - The Deputy Spokesman for the Ministry of Finance, Pornchai Theeravet, says the government’s co-pay campaign has been well-received by members of the public and participating shops and stores.


Mr. Pornchai, who serves as the financial adviser to the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO), said today that more than 9.4 million people and 380,000 vendors have registered with the co-pay scheme. As of October 26 this year, total spending stood at 704.5 million baht, of which 362.5 million baht was by members of the public, with 342 million contributed by the government, at 232 baht per payment. Spending under the scheme is active in all provinces. Bangkok has the most spending, followed by Songkhla and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces.


The Deputy Spokesman for the Ministry of Finance said half of consumers’ payment is being transferred to participating outlets’ registered bank accounts from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m each day. The government will transfer another half from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. the following day. If spending takes place on weekends, financial transfers will proceed on the next business day. As for the long holiday from October 23 to 25, 2020, the government had transferred 212 million baht to 96,359 participating outlets last Monday (Oct 26). The government is considering ways to improve the spending process. Vendors, who have yet to receive payment, can contact Krungthai Bank for assistance. Bank staff will check the status of their bank accounts and other issues.


Sunee Puncharoen, a fruit vendor in Sing Buri province who has registered with the co-pay campaign, said that not many people were aware of the campaign in the beginning. Today however, she generated almost 3,000 baht in sales within 10 minutes, as many of her customers, including civil servants and local people, are using the co-pay campaign to buy her fruit. Before the launch of the campaign, Mrs. Sunee generated about 2,000 to 3,000 baht in sales per day. Now, her daily revenue has increased exponentially.


Mrs. Sunee said many vendors did not register with the scheme initially because they thought that the registration process would be difficult. Many of them didn’t know how to use mobile applications. After seeing its success, they went to register at the bank.

National News Bureau Of Thailand