“Anutin” evades answering on endorsement of draft law redirecting “sin tax” to parliament, repeating same phrase 4 times: “under consideration.”

Today (27 October 2026) at 12:10 PM at Government House, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, gave an interview regarding clarity on signing the endorsement of 4 draft act amendments to abolish the allocation of maintenance funds to 4 organizations from liquor and tobacco excise taxes (sin tax) and transition them into the normal budget system. He confirmed that there is currently no signed endorsement and that it is under consideration.

When asked about the current stage of the process, the Prime Minister merely said, “It is under consideration.”

As for whether the consideration is being conducted by relevant agencies or by himself, as well as the overall outlook, the Prime Minister reiterated the same phrase: “It is under consideration.”

When further asked whether action must be taken in accordance with the policy statement delivered to Parliament regarding legislation to bring the sin tax back into the national budget to maintain fiscal discipline, the Prime Minister responded simply, “It is under consideration.”

And regarding the question of whether there is no need to rush this matter, the Prime Minister repeated once more, “It is under consideration.”

Photo : Weeraphat Ratsameerueangrong