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Published on July 19, 2007

Of the total budget, Bang-kok governor Apirak Kosayod-hin said nearly Bt9.1 billion would be spent on improving infrastructure and security in the capital.

"For example, Bt1.87 billion is earmarked for public transport projects like the Skytrain and Bus Rapid Transit systems, as well as for landscape enhancement," he said.

Apirak said Bt4.57 billion will go to environmental im-provement such as adding more green areas to Bangkok, enhanced management of garbage disposal, global-war-ming solutions and efforts to reduce pollution.

Apirak said Bt1.5 billion would be devoted to the promotion of Bangkok residents' health, while Bt1.48 billion would be used to finance a project to develop Bangkok as a learning city.

"About Bt197 million will be used to strengthen the capital's economy," he said.

After Apirak presented the budget plan to the Bangkok Council, many councillors joined a heated debate on the plan.

Suttichai Veerakunsun-thorm, who represents Bangkok's Chom Thong district, said several departments under the Bangkok Metropo-litan Administration (BMA) still had plenty of money left from the budget granted for fiscal year 2007 but they were still seeking more.

"This is not right," he said.

He also complained that the BMA Public Works Depart-ment spent its budget on projects not intended for it in the first place.

Another Bangkok councillor, Pradermchai Boonchuay-lua, who represents Huai Kh-wang district, raised concerns that the strengthening baht might affect the economy so much that the BMA's tax collection would not meet its target.

Pradermchai said the tax collection would be used to finance a sizeable portion of the budget for 2008.

He said the BMA expected to collect as much as Bt6 billion in tax. "If purchasing power falls, we may not meet the target for tax collection and that is worrying," he said.

However, following the debate, the Bangkok Council approved the budget and set up an ad-hoc committee to review the plan.