Thailand Revises Welfare Card Rules, Benefiting Older Vehicle Owners

The Finance Ministry has revised the eligibility criteria for the state welfare card scheme, allowing owners of older vehicles to retain their benefits while extending the deadline for unsuccessful applicants to appeal until Sept 20. Ministry spokesman Vinit Visessuvanapoom announced the changes on Thursday after a meeting of the Pracharath Welfare Committee for the Grassroots Economy and Society, chaired by Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas. Mr Vinit said owners of cars more than 20 years old and motorcycles aged at least 15 years would remain eligible for the state welfare card. The exemption, however, does not apply to those who purchased used vehicles from 2018 onwards, the year the welfare card programme was first introduced, as they are regarded as newly registered vehicle owners. Since the scheme began in 2018, around 2.5 million welfare card holders have registered vehicles, both new and used. The ministry will accept appeals from applicants whose registrations were rejected until Sept 20, with the results due to be announced on Sept 30. Of the 18.8 million people who applied for the latest round of benefits, only 9.5 million qualified. Authorities have already received 3.4 million appeals, about 40% of which concern vehicle ownership. Mr Vinit said applicants who had sold vehicles but completed only an open transfer without formally changing ownership records would have their eligibility restored once the Department of Land Transport (DLT) corrected the relevant records. The same applies to sellers whose identities had been fraudulently used in vehicle registrations, or whose vehicles had become unusable scrap, he added. Working-age applicants enrolled as students would likewise not be disqualified under the student eligibility criterion. The committee also approved exemptions for directors or shareholders of social enterprises and community enterprises incorporated as legal entities, while investors who had opened securities trading accounts but had not traded for long periods, or whose holdings were of negligible value, would no longer be excluded. The Finance Ministry said it would submit the revised criteria to the cabinet for approval on Monday. DLT director-general Sorapong Paitoonphong said about 12% of vehicle sales involved open transfers without formal changes to ownership records. Business Development Department director-general Poonpong Naiyanapakorn said around 120,000 applicants were company directors or shareholders across 139,000 legal entities. More than 10,000 individuals served on the boards of multiple companies, he noted. Around 15,000 applicants were involved in social enterprises or community enterprises covered by the new exemptions. Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee said provincial governors, district chiefs, village headmen and local officials had been instructed to revisit households, inspect vehicles and homes, and photograph conditions as supporting evidence for appeals. Officials would also verify cases involving identity theft, including the unauthorised use of personal details to establish companies or hold shares, with any evidence of fraudulent or criminal activity to be investigated. Government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said the review aimed to better target welfare spending after eligibility data had not been updated for four to five years.