The supplementary bill, which seeks to increase the budget for the current fiscal year by 122 billion baht to partially fund the government's digital wallet handout scheme, sailed through all three readings in the Upper House on Tuesday.
The vote saw 139 senators in favour, 38 against, and 18 abstentions.
In the debate before Tuesday's vote on the bill, several senators expressed doubts over whether the digital handout scheme would work as claimed by the government.
Bangkok senator Norasate Prachyakorn said he was concerned the government would miss its target of seeing gross domestic product (GDP) grow by another 1.8% with the help of the handout scheme, which requires almost 500 billion baht in funding.
Senators Bunchan Nuansai and Premsak Piayura shared a similar view that the handout was nothing more than a ploy by the government to garner votes for the next general election.
Daeng Kongma, who worked as a pork vendor in a fresh market in Amnat Charoen before becoming a senator, said if the 10,000-baht handout was given in cash, it would help stimulate the grassroots economy by encouraging spending. Digital currency is more complicated for many to spend, she said.
Speaking in the Upper House, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin defended the 122-billion-baht supplementary bill, saying the need to inject money to stimulate and strengthen the economy was too urgent for the government to wait until the 2025 fiscal budget comes.
Of the extra 122 billion baht, about 10 billion will come from tax and other revenue the government expects to earn, while the rest will come from borrowing, he said.
Considering Thailand's slow economic growth, which is coupled with high household and corporate debt and an extremely volatile world economic situation, the government is in urgent need of a budget to fund its efforts to stimulate economic growth, the PM said.
"The government will strictly follow state fiscal and financial discipline rules," he said.
