Thailand will review new eligibility criteria for its welfare card program after the rejection of more than 9 million applicants triggered criticism of the new rules and raised questions over the accuracy of official records.

The Finance Ministry will make the rules more practical and more reflective of applicants’ actual circumstances, Vinit Visessuvanapoom, director-general of the ministry’s Fiscal Policy Office, said in a briefing on July 20. Rejected applicants were also given until Sept 20 to appeal, extended from the original end-July deadline.

“We had good intentions in setting these guidelines to identify those who are suffering the most and the most vulnerable people in society,” Vinit said. “But now we also need to consider the reality of their hardship and poverty.”

The results of the latest screening, released last week, drew criticism after nearly half of the 18.8 million applicants were rejected. The outcry could pose the first major political tests for Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who won a convincing election victory in February. He ordered agencies involved to respond quickly and restore public confidence.

Vehicle ownership has emerged as a key issue, with car owners generally excluded from receiving benefits unless their vehicles fall under specific exemptions.

About 2.9 million people have appealed their disqualification, with roughly 40 per cent of cases related to vehicle ownership, Vinit said. The government plans to amend the criteria and ensure that newly approved cardholders will begin receiving benefits by Oct 1. 

Many rejected applicants said the decisions were based on inaccurate or outdated records, including vehicles that had already been sold or old vehicles they previously used for work. There were also complaints of elderly people being incorrectly classified as students and tax deductions claimed by relatives.

Opposition lawmaker Sirikanya Tansakun on July 17 said the government tightened the rules to reduce the number of beneficiaries to about 9 million to 10 million, after the fiscal 2027 budget for the program was cut to ...