The Thai Restaurant Association has written to the PM asking that the "Thai Helps Thai, Kon Krueng Plus" scheme (planned for Oct–Nov 2026) not exclude small restaurants simply because they are VAT-registered. Its proposal: use annual revenue, staff numbers or business size instead. Restaurants earning over 1.8 million baht a year must register for VAT by law. This is only a request so far; the government has not changed the eligibility rules. If you run a small eatery that is VAT-registered, check the scheme's final criteria before the October launch and plan around them.