The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is set to revise its 40-year-old BMA Act to modernize urban management and improve administrative effectiveness, according to officials.
BMA spokesperson Aekwaranyu Amrapal announced that the agency plans to update the BMA Act of 1985 to boost operational efficiency in response to the demands of a contemporary urban environment.
“After nearly three years of work and gathering public feedback from various communities, it has become clear that Bangkok still struggles with structural issues—such as repeated pavement excavation, severe traffic congestion, underutilized areas beneath expressways, and messy overhead cables,” he said.
These challenges are largely attributed to the constraints of the outdated administrative framework, which has not been updated in over four decades, he explained.
Mr. Amrapal highlighted that the revisions to the BMA Act will concentrate on three main areas: roles and authorities, financial mechanisms, and organizational structure.
The revisions aim to enhance the BMA’s capabilities, allowing it to implement and oversee emissions standards for vehicles and factories, provide extensive support to the city’s vulnerable populations, and intensify crackdowns on illegal enterprises.
Under the new legislation, the BMA will also have the authority to generate additional income through the introduction of various taxes and fees, such as taxes on cigarettes and hotels, a pollution tax, and an extra charge on older vehicles.
The BMA is encouraging public involvement in the legislative update process through an online forum at 2528.bangkok.go.th, which will remain open for comments until May 18.
