Thai Chamber lists 10 proposals to pull Thai economy out of ICU

Poj Aramwattananont, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand, led the Board of Trade of Thailand’s executive committee to meet Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and the government’s economic agencies at Government House on Wednesday (June 10, 2026).

The Thai Chamber of Commerce’s meeting with the government was part of the government’s ongoing talks with the business sector, following the opening of Government House to hear views from businesspeople and large companies in May.

At the talks, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand presented a survey report based on opinions from members and business networks nationwide.

It found that Thai business operators were facing a confidence crisis and cost pressures across the board.

Some 57.4% said they had been severely affected by the current economic situation, while 68.3% had very low confidence in the economy over the next six months, as the economy faces uncertainty from factors in the Middle East, which continue to affect oil prices and business costs this year.

The main factors affecting the business sector were higher energy costs and oil prices, at 79.2%, followed by rising transport and logistics costs, at 66.3%, and slowing domestic purchasing power, at 60.4%.

This reflected that businesses were facing pressure on costs and revenue at the same time.

In addition, 67.3% of operators expected the economy over the next three months to worsen, while 68.3% had low confidence in the Thai economy over the next six months.

This reflected private-sector concerns over the direction of the economy and underscored the need for the state to quickly implement economic recovery measures that are clear, concrete and able to restore confidence.

The private sector therefore proposed 10 urgent measures to revive the economy to the Anutin government, asking it to speed up action to pull the country’s economy out of a cycle in which economic growth is the lowest in the region, while also increasing the country’s competitiveness in the next stage.

The measures are:

• Stimulating purchasing power and domestic consumption by addressing falling domestic purchasing power, a major problem that operators want the state to tackle urgently. The proposals include accelerating purchasing-power stimulus schemes that build on previous successes, such as “Khon La Khrueng Plus”, with adjustments to emphasise spending in secondary provinces, border provinces or during the low season to distribute funds more widely.

They also include expanding schemes for specific groups, such as a half-half scheme for farmers’ fertiliser and agricultural chemicals for purchases at local shops, and “Half-Half Travel”, focusing on border provinces, as well as continuing assistance to vulnerable groups through the state welfare card.

• Reducing energy costs and living expenses by proposing that the government urgently cut fuel, electricity and cooking gas prices. It also proposed restructuring oil prices to reflect actual costs rather than relying solely on international market prices, as well as strictly regulating consumer goods prices to prevent opportunistic pricing.
• Helping SMEs and strengthening liquidity by providing easy-to-access long-term low-interest loan measures, or soft loans, especially for labour-intensive businesses. It also proposed easing the criteria for SMEs with NPL problems by considering their current potential and cash flow instead.
• Addressing household debt and debt burdens by systematically tackling debt among low- and middle-income groups through debt restructuring, debt suspension and reduced loan interest rates, to increase liquidity for daily living and reduce informal debt problems.
• Protecting the domestic market by upgrading measures to control imports of foreign products that involve dumping or unfair competition and directly affect Thai SMEs, while supporting the “Thai Helps Thai” policy to promote the use of domestic products and services.
• Promoting exports and international trade by pushing exports as the main engine through new market expansion, revising import duties on raw materials and reviewing free trade agreements (FTAs) to make them balanced and fair, especially measures to manage seasonal imports.
• Reviving the agricultural sector and farmers’ income by stabilising prices through production planning based on market demand, or Market-Led Production, and supporting lower production input costs, such as fertiliser and agricultural chemicals, to increase the competitiveness of Thai agricultural products.
• Promoting tourism and the service sector by stimulating both domestic and international tourism markets, developing infrastructure to reduce congestion at major airports, and seriously accelerating efforts to address PM 2.5 to build confidence in safety among tourists.
• Reforming public administration and good governance by increasing efficiency and transparency, suppressing corruption, and speeding up reductions in approval and permission procedures under Ease of Doing Business, using digital systems to integrate overlapping regulations and reduce hidden costs in doing business.
• Assisting border areas and regional economies by accelerating relief measures in border areas affected by uncertainty, such as the Thai-Cambodian border, and promoting regional investment based on the strengths of each area through soft power and local wisdom, to distribute income more widely.

Poj also said the Thai Chamber of Commerce believed that if these measures were implemented concretely and urgently, they would help ease short-term impacts and lay the foundations for sustainable growth in the Thai economy.