Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, Santi Piyatat, said price increases were the most common issue reported through the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), which received 66 complaints nationwide between Oct 29 and last Tuesday (Nov 11), reports the Bangkok Post.
Of these, 29 cases involved shops inflating prices immediately after joining the scheme ‒ a practice the government considers a deliberate attempt to profit from public subsidies.
Other complaints included six cases of shops charging value-added tax on already discounted goods, five cases of merchants falsely claiming to be participating in the scheme by posting misleading quick response (QR) codes, five cases of shops imposing unauthorised service fees and four cases involving the sale of banned items such as alcohol and tobacco.
Mr Santi said such behaviour was contrary to the scheme’s objectives of easing citizens’ financial burdens and stimulating local economies.
"These price hikes betray the spirit of the government’s support measures and erode public confidence," he said. The OCPB has coordinated with the Fiscal Policy Office, the Department of Internal Trade, and provincial commerce offices to pursue legal action against violators and strengthen proactive monitoring.
He added that the government was determined to ensure fairness and transparency by holding dishonest retailers accountable.
"All relevant agencies must act quickly to protect consumers and prevent shops from exploiting the system," he said, adding that the OCPB would continue to educate both shoppers and vendors on legal compliance and consumer rights.
According to the Fiscal Policy Office, more than 19 million users have successfully made payments under the ‘Khon La Khrueng Plus’ scheme, with total spending exceeding B35 billion as of last Thursday (Nov 13).
The co-payment programme, which runs until Dec 31, currently includes 922,491 registered shops. Citizens can use up to B200 daily through the Paotang app between 6am and 11pm, with the government’s input doubling that amount to B400 a day.
Mr Santi reaffirmed that shops found inflating prices or otherwise exploiting the scheme would face strict penalties to ensure consumers can benefit fully, fairly and safely from the government’s assistance measures.
Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry confirmed that as of last Tuesday, total food delivery spending under the scheme reached B419.42 million, with LINE MAN accounting for B249.74mn ‒ the highest among delivery platforms.
LINE MAN also reported more than two million accumulated orders placed within five days by over 1 million users nationwide. More than 40,000 restaurants on the platform generated nearly B300mn in transactions.
Meanwhile, Grab reported over 1 million orders and a threefold sales increase for participating restaurants, led by single-dish meals such as somtam (spicy papaya salad), noodle dishes, fried chicken and Thai tea favourites.