The government is planning to roll out a number of relief measures as "New Year gift"s at the end of the year, which will include tax reductions, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow on Tuesday.
More details on the relief packages will be announced at a later date, he said.
Mr Supattanapong revealed the plan after admitting that the proposal to subsidise low-income households' electricity bills failed to make its way into Tuesday's cabinet meeting.
Afterwards, he went on to say that the proposal would be approved by the cabinet in time for it to be implemented next month.
At this point, he said, the proposal only covers low-income households.
As for other measures to relieve the impact of the deteriorating geopolitical situation on Thailand, he said the Ministry of Finance is in talks with banks and other financial institutions, asking them to keep their interest rates unchanged for as long as possible.
This is meant to help borrowers who are struggling to cope with the impact of high inflation and high energy prices, he said.
When asked about Thai banks' liquidity situation, he said there was no need for banks to raise their interest rates just yet, as their counterparts in other countries have done.
Although energy prices appear to be stable at the moment, prices may surge again as winter in the northern hemisphere approaches, he said.
As such, Mr Supattanapong said he has asked Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon to call a meeting of the National Energy Policy Committee (NEPC) to discuss measures to encourage the public to conserve energy and promote the use of alternative energy sources at home, such as rooftop solar panels.
