Fund delay spurs legal action

A civic group has filed a petition with the Administrative Court against the government and relevant authorities for failing to implement the National Savings Fund.

Arunee Srito, who leads the group called the people pension network, said her group filed the petition against the government, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong and Fiscal Policy Office director-general Somchai Sujjapongse.

The petition asks the court to order authorities to operate the fund by opening up the membership application process. She said the National Savings Fund Act has been in effect since May 12, 2011, and the law required the fund to be open for applications within one year, but nothing has happened.

The National Savings Fund, pushed by the former Democrat government, is aimed at helping an estimated 35 million people outside existing retirement and pension fund schemes to save money for their retirement.

Ms Arunee said the Finance Ministry did not allocate a 2014 budget to the fund, showing it was willing to ignore the law.

Mr Kittiratt said during the 2014 budget debate in the House recently that the government did not allocate a budget to the fund because the government would have had to contribute to the fund based on contributions paid in by fund members.