Politicians dangle B3.14tn worth of promises

Two parties’ promises alone would cost B2 trillion a year, says TDRI study

With the country heading into a general election in May, key political parties are promising more than 50 million voters almost everything from steep increases in cash handouts and wages to suspending debt repayment.

Pledges from the top nine parties so far will require about 3.14 trillion baht per year, after excluding their overlapping policies, according to an analysis by the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).

The litany of promises from two parties alone would require 2 trillion baht each per year to implement, the institute said.

Now that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the…