Elected Local Administration Organisations (LAOs) should be allocated 35% of the annual state budget to guarantee them greater independence, a member of the National Reform Council said yesterday.
Kriangkrai Phoomlaochaeng, who is also chairman of the National Municipal League of Thailand, said a bigger allocation of funds is an essential part of decentralisation, development and local authority independence.
At present, local elected bodies receive just 27% of the national budget, well below the 35% set out by the 1997 charter, he said.
Limited financial resources means local bodies look for other sources of funding and often turn to MPs for help. This results in politicians using local bodies as a tool to canvass for votes and a patronage system that leads to interference, graft and corruption, Mr Kriangkrai said.
Local authorities should also not be forced to bear the burden of populist schemes introduced by the government, he said.
Several projects such as free milk and lunch for schoolchildren were initiated by national parties but were funded through local budgets, Mr Kriangkrai said.
These schemes account for 50 billion baht of the budgets set aside for local authorities, he added.
"When we have enough funding to do our jobs and don't have to run to MPs for help, we will be prepared for tougher scrutiny. We will be ready to implement strict measures against corruption," he said.
Mr Kriangkrai said LAOs are also seeking an amendment to a law governing management of human resources that caps the fixed spending of local bodies at 40%.
He said the last government approved a salary increase for local administrators, which raised fixed expenditure. He said the limit should be raised to 45% or 50%.
He said the proposal was discussed with Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paojinda on Wednesday.
The interior minister has yet to examine the proposal.