Thai Chamber proposes 10 urgent measures for Thai economic revival

Poj Aramwattananont, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand, said on Wednesday (June 10, 2026), after talks with Prime Minister  Anutin Charnvirakul and the government’s economic agencies at Government House, that discussions with the government had covered strategies for reviving the Thai economy in 2026.

He said the business sector was facing severe challenges from geopolitical factors and economic volatility, affecting energy and logistics costs.

A survey had found that business operators, especially SMEs, which form an important foundation of the country, had been hit hardest.

Poj said that, to ensure economic recovery is swift and delivers concrete results, the private sector had presented proposals to the government through 10 urgent recommendations to be implemented within 1-2 years.

Key issues include stimulating purchasing power and building on the Let's Go Halves Plus programme to distribute more money into the grassroots economy.

The 10 proposals are:

• Stimulating purchasing power and domestic consumption: Accelerate the recovery of slowing domestic demand by building on successful measures from the past, such as “Let's Go Halves Plus”, with a focus on distributing money to the grassroots economy in secondary provinces, border areas and the tourism low season. The proposal also calls for more efficient assistance for vulnerable groups through the state welfare card to generate broader economic momentum.
• Reducing energy costs and the cost of living: Push for solutions to energy costs, which are a major factor affecting the business sector (79.2%), by accelerating measures to lower fuel, electricity and cooking gas prices. It also proposes restructuring oil prices so they reflect actual costs rather than relying only on international market prices. In addition, prices of essential consumer goods must be strictly regulated to prevent opportunistic and excessive price increases.
• Helping SMEs and strengthening liquidity for entrepreneurs: Move quickly to provide easy and rapid access to long-term low-interest credit measures, or soft loans, especially for labour-intensive businesses. It also proposes easing loan assessment criteria for SMEs that have been continuously affected by Covid-19, including those classified as NPLs, by adjusting assessment criteria to focus on current business potential and cash flow, in order to bring entrepreneurs back into the normal financial system.

• Tackling household debt and people’s debt burden: Address household debt systematically, focusing on low- and middle-income groups through debt restructuring, debt moratoriums and lower loan interest rates. This would ease monthly expenses and increase liquidity for daily living, which will be an important factor in reducing informal debt and stimulating consumption over the long term.
• Protecting the domestic market and strengthening the competitiveness of Thai entrepreneurs: Upgrade measures to prevent and control imports of foreign goods involving dumping or unfair competition, which directly affect Thai manufacturing and SMEs. The proposal also supports the “Thai helping Thai” policy by promoting the use of domestic goods and services to maintain competitive balance and strengthen local entrepreneurs.
• Promoting exports and international trade: Push the export sector to become a key engine for driving the economy by expanding into new markets and improving import tax measures for raw materials to reduce production costs. Free trade agreements (FTAs) should also be reviewed to ensure they are balanced and fair, especially measures to manage seasonal imports so they do not affect domestic produce prices.
• Reviving the agricultural sector and raising farmers’ incomes: Create stability in agricultural product prices and reduce market volatility, with a focus on production planning based on market demand, or Market-Led Production, and the development of crop varieties to add value. Measures to reduce production input costs, such as fertilisers and agricultural chemicals, should also be supported to improve farmers’ quality of life and enhance the competitiveness of Thai agricultural products.
• Promoting tourism and the service sector: Upgrade the tourism industry by stimulating both domestic and international markets, alongside the development of transport infrastructure to reduce congestion at major airports. Environmental and air quality issues (PM2.5) must also be addressed seriously to build confidence in safety and promote a sustainable tourism image.
• Reforming the bureaucracy and strengthening good governance: Increase the efficiency of the bureaucracy by adhering to good governance, transparency and decisive anti-corruption action. The proposal calls for speeding up the reduction of approval and permit procedures, or Ease of Doing Business, through digital systems and integrating overlapping regulations between agencies to reduce hidden costs in doing business and build investor confidence.
• Helping border areas and developing regional economies: Accelerate relief and economic recovery measures in border areas affected by uncertainty, especially the Thai-Cambodian border. Investment in the regions should also be promoted in line with the potential and strengths of each area to distribute prosperity and economic opportunities widely to local communities.

“The Thai Chamber of Commerce believes that if the government implements all 10 proposals concretely, this will help ease the impact and lay the foundations for sustainable growth for the Thai economy in the long term, with the private sector ready to cooperate fully in every dimension,” Poj said.

Poj also said the private sector had discussed with the prime minister the need to accelerate the establishment of the Joint Public and Private Sector Committee for Economic Problem Solving (JPPCC) as a small and flexible working group to support agile operations.

The subcommittees would be divided into eight key areas: energy, commerce, tourism, agriculture, logistics, education, labour and AI, so that problems can be addressed directly and quickly.

In addition, proposals were made for the government to address agricultural-sector issues and the labour crisis.

For agriculture, this is an issue requiring immediate action because more than 30 million people are involved.

The private sector proposed using a market-led production strategy to build food security and increase farmers’ incomes.

At the same time, it asked the government to speed up action by state agencies to renew labour MOUs for four nationalities, especially legal Cambodian and Myanmar workers, to prevent the current critical labour shortage.

On trade barriers and obstacles, Poj said the private sector was working with the government to clarify the United States’ Section 301 issue, insisting that Thailand has no problems with forced labour or human trafficking.

The government has representatives who will clarify the issue directly.

The private sector also proposed that the government move quickly to revise ministerial- or departmental-level regulations in seven key industry groups, which could be done more quickly than amending an Act, to reduce obstacles to doing business, or Ease of Doing Business.