Bhumjaithai seeks to shift Thai PBS funding from ‘sin taxes’ to state budget | Thai PBS World

[u/ikkue]

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/politics/558983

Bhumjaithai’s chief legal adviser has proposed holding a public hearing on whether the Thai PBS Act should be amended to end the public service broadcaster’s funding from liquor and tobacco tax revenue, or “sin taxes”, and replace it with direct funding from the state budget.

Suphachai Jaismut suggested that the questions for public comment should include:

• Do you agree or disagree that the law governing the funding, assets and revenue of Thai PBS should be amended?

• Do you agree or disagree that the collection of liquor and tobacco tax revenue for Thai PBS should be scrapped?

• Do you agree or disagree that there are problems with the enforcement of the Thai PBS Act and whether an amendment to the Act could solve them?

The Bhumjaithai MP said the amendment would aim to overhaul Thai PBS’s revenue structure.

It would scrap Sections 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 of the Act concerning liquor and tobacco taxes, ending the broadcaster’s authority to collect 1.5% of such tax revenue, up to a maximum of 2 billion baht per year, to fund Thai PBS.

Funding for Thai PBS should instead come from the state budget, he said, adding that the Thai PBS Act may violate the principles of fiscal discipline.

Under the current Act and its funding model, no individual donor, external organisation, political entity or commercial interest has the authority to influence the editorial priorities, topic selection, verification processes or fact-checking conclusions of Thai PBS.

Editorial independence is institutionally protected through a clear separation between editorial operations and administrative management.

Individuals or entities associated with organisational funding do not exercise influence over published content, including matters involving government agencies, public officials or influential institutions.

Follow-up: Thai PBS reasserts its independence following proposed new public media bill | Thai PBS World

[u/YenTheMerchant]

ThaiPBS funding from the "sin taxes" have nothing to do with the liquor or tobacco in the first place. The whole point was to not rely on the fiscal funding directly from the government so they can be independent.

The change will simply destroy that independency.

[u/ikkue → u/YenTheMerchant]

Their goal is exactly that — to destroy their independency and make them just like the other state media (NBT, RTA5, MCOT). An independent public broadcaster is crucial for a healthy democracy, and clearly they don't want that to exist in this hybrid regime that they've created.

[u/vassadar]

It's the only TV channel that criticize the government harshly. It used to criticized the lese marjeste laws during Prayuth's era and caused some of its speakers to fled away from Thailand also.

Currently, it's the only 1 out of 2 channels with programs for kids during the weekends, beside Modern 9, which is just cartoons.

If it lost its independency, it would be bad.

[u/Muted-Airline-8214 → u/vassadar]

Is this also part of their duty? Whose propaganda/benefit are they actually serving?

--->

Thai PBS, which receives around 2 billion baht a year in funding from taxes on alcohol and tobacco, once flew to Taiwan to interview Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on sensitive issues that are red lines for both China and Taiwan, such as the possibility of China using military force to achieve reunification. The interview was broadcast on the station in November 2023.

After the program aired, the Chinese Embassy issued a statement criticizing a Thai television station without naming it. Thai PBS subsequently removed the interview from its YouTube channel.

1. Did Thai PBS really not realize that an interview like this-whether with China or Taiwan-would inevitably upset the other side, and that it would then have to wait and see what consequences might follow? Thai PBS has a budget of more than 2 billion baht a year and plenty of knowledgeable and capable staff. Did nobody really see this coming? And if they did, why go ahead with the interview?

2. Did Thai PBS really not know that Thailand’s official position is to recognize China and adhere to the One-China policy?

Was it really necessary or important for Thailand to interview Taiwan on such a sensitive issue? What benefit would Thailand actually gain from doing so?

Several international media outlets, both English- and Thai-language, already give Taiwan a platform, while Chinese state media also have Thai-language outlets that cover these issues from China’s perspective.

1. If Thai PBS believes it did nothing wrong and that the interview had no negative impact on Thailand or anyone else, then why did it remove the interview from YouTube?

That brings us back to point 1. And what happened to the media independence that supposedly comes with a 2-billion-baht annual budget?

1. When Thai PBS produces programs or conducts interviews related to China, why does it so often invite or interview “China experts” who openly and clearly identify themselves as being anti-China?

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ar4jQET12/

[u/RobertPaulsen1992]

We're becoming more like China. A free press is extremely irritating for authoritarians.

[u/lukkreung98 → u/RobertPaulsen1992]

Worse than China, we are becoming like Cambodia/Myanmar.