The Finance Ministry is preparing to reconsider the eligibility criteria for receiving financial aid under the Rao Chana (We Win) scheme, which stipulates recipients should have a taxable income of no more than 300,000 baht per year.
Approved in January, the We Win scheme aims to provide 210 billion baht of financial handouts for 31 million people to alleviate hardships caused by the recent outbreak.
Friday was the first day the ministry began transferring money to 13.8 million state welfare cardholders, with a combined disbursement sum of 9.4 billion baht.
Citizens who are not state welfare cardholders can check their eligibility for the We Win scheme through www.เราชนะ.com.
The key criteria for those receiving the 7,000-baht financial remedy for two months, with 1,000 baht disbursed per week, consist of a taxable income of no more than 300,000 baht per year, or a monthly income not exceeding 25,000 baht. Money in bank deposit accounts must not exceed 500,000 baht.
Registration started on Jan 29 and will end on Feb 12.
Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said many people laid off from their jobs last year because of the first wave might not be able to receive the We Win assistance because their taxable incomes filed in 2019 may exceed 300,000 baht per year.
The ministry will allow these unemployed individuals to submit their annual income review through www.เราชนะ.com starting on Feb 8.
The ministry uses the 2019 tax filing data as the main reference point because the tax database is not fully complete. The Revenue Department extended the 2020 tax filing deadline to June 30, 2021, said Mr Arkhom.
For those who have been laid off this year and are not covered by Section 33 of the Social Security Act, they will have to register at a later stage, he said.
Mr Arkhom reiterated the government is willing to help every segment affected by the pandemic crisis, but they will have to register themselves.
The government aims to provide financial relief to cover 41 million people. Of the sum, 13.8 million are state welfare cardholders, 17 million are recipients via the Pao Tang app, 9 million are those covered by Section 33 of the Social Security Act and the remaining 1.2 million are classified as other groups.
The 9 million people covered by Section 33 are expected to receive a weekly payment of 1,000 baht starting next month, up to a maximum of 3,500-4,500 baht. This package is scheduled for cabinet approval next week.