retarius

I am not a fan of duty free shops, I think they are a rip off, and designed for simpletons. My wife disagrees with me and goes shopping in the airport. Anyway, I haven't bought booze in a duty free for decades. Not since I noticed in almost all countries I visited, the High Street prices were often quite a bit cheaper. It seems to me that, at best, you can save a few pennies in the duty free stores but then you have the inconvenience of carrying the damned stuff. I do sometimes buy cosmetics for the wife when I travel alone, but only because high end cosmetics are difficult to get here in Thailand, and because it is a gift, I'm not concerned about price. My last wander around a Swampy duty free booze section revealed that they don't stock much, if any, ordinary branded spirits. If you want a bottle of Johnny Walker whiskey (I don't drink the vile stuff) but there was no ordinary whiskey on the shelves but there were big displays of Johnny Walker Green Label, Blue label, Pink Label, Purple Label (Ok I'm exaggerating a little) and so forth all at outrageous prices. It seems this a change in strategy for the duty frees, ie to stock brands you cannot get outside the airport and cannot do a price comparison on.

I have a friend who had a stroke in the latter half of 2022. He had a ridiculously expensive (2M Baht operation) but still can't cut up his own food....and can barely speak. Realistically I'd rather be dead. I think the medical technology is still in its infancy and so I don't much care for modern. Basically 'modern tech' to me means tech that hasn't been really tested yet. I'd rather stick with older stuff. As an example 3 super common drugs, omeprazole for tummies, ciprofloxacin and simvastatin have been on the market for 40 odd years and been in billions of people. Omeprazole was considered so safe it could be sold in pharmacies OTC. Then they found it had problems, not serious enough to pull it from the market, but to recommend against regular use. Ciprofloxacin was found recently to cause severe tendonitis. This can be pretty serious and so it is now not the recommended go to drug for infections. And simvastatin, for hypercholesterolemia, and was supposedly proven to to prevent heart attacks, strokes etc has been found to be atherogenic. Simva, like omeprazole has been given long term to billions of patients around the globe. This was supposed to be a response to Superscuba.

I've been trying to get a yellow book for ages, but I always get knocked back. They tell me I am not married and so can't have one. Which Embassy are you going to? As far as I'm aware, there is no Thai Embassy in Thailand, Embassies are set up outside the country. I'm assuming you are going to visit the consul at your own Embassy who will notarise your signature on the marriage papers. I have had lots of stuff notarised at the US embassy and never needed anything more than my passport.

Heart attacks are interesting. Basically if you are alive after one day, you have an excellent chance of returning to a normal life without in-hospital treatment. Strokes are another issue, you can only hope the stoke kills you, and you can avoid living a low quality life.

I don't have health insurance here, and never have. This past year has been the first year I've had any medical care in Thailand at all and I've been here 15 years so I've saved a bundle to date not paying insurance premiums. I don't see the point in insurance when you get old. The exclusions and get out clauses written into healthcare polices are so numerous they pretty much guarantee the insurance company won't be on the hook for your big bills. That's why all non-Thai health insurance companies are rolling in money, and the Thai ones only went bust because of insane COVID policies. I'm 70 and will continue to 'self insure'. We use an expensive private hospital in Bangkok for any medical needs for myself and my wife. I can afford to do so, at the moment, who knows in the future with inflation and taxes. Statistically, you run up most of your medical expenses in the last 6 months of life....I intend to die at home in my own bed and have a Living Will to that effect. I have no problem dying if I get sick, and don't want my wife to get a massive bill after I die. For example, if I get cancer, I would not take these way overpriced drugs to eke out another 6 months of poor quality life. I have seen too many friends here in Thailand get ripped off very, very badly in hospitals with massively inflated bills and lots of unnecessary treatment and tests. As best I can, I want to control the costs of my healthcare. I don't mind investing a bit in diagnosis, provided what they are testing for has an established, researched and approved treatment. But even having a treatment is another issue and I want it cost effective, and the best way to do that is to pay your own way and to read the cost effectiveness studies of the treatments.

Let's clear up the headline. I am confused. Are the government planning cuts in Major Energies like gas, electric and vehicle fuel? Or are they planning MINOR reductions in the cost of fuel? Dropping the cost of a litre of fuel by 2 baht, say, does not qualify as a major reduction, and keeping diesel under 30baht isn't a reduction, it costs 30 baht anyway. Nor does keeping the cost of cooking fuel static qualify as ANY Reduction whatsoever, least of all a major reduction. I'm sorry I must be totally stupid, but I don't understand there are going to be ANY MAJOR REDUCTIONS in the price of fuels.

Many countries have this sort of liability eg the US has a 10 year rule for ex-pats leaving (green card holders) and you have to file and pay taxes on income and capital gains (of course you get an off-set for any taxes paid where you reside). As far as I am aware, hardly any one ever files and pays. They think it is an unreasonable request and unless you plan to come back frequently to Thailand, I wouldn't bother. If they can't catch Boss the murderer, they are hardly going to put a red notice with Interpol for you, are they?

Why, are you staying it can't be done? It's done all over the world by other governments here. It's done by banks for interest income, and it's done by companies for employees paid salaries the same as PAYE. Explain to me why it can't be done. You can't because it can be done, and very easily. It's New Year and I'm already sick of dealing with morons.

Russia has not caused any mass civilian casualties. He has been exceptionally careful to destroy only military architecture in the vast majority of cases. Look up the numbers of civilians killed, it is the least of any modern war and probably a factor of 50 lower than the Israeli murders which imho are totally intentional and therefore genocidal. Dropping a 2000lb US bomb in the middle of a densely packed refugee camp, that's mass killing or a campaign to bomb all hospitals, a war crime. Bombing a Christmas Market in Belgorod, that's mass indiscriminate killing, Ukraine style. Putin stands about as much chance of being defenestrated as you do of growing an open mind. You cannot defenestrate a nuclear power. The war will end only when Ukraine is destroyed or it surrenders, this are the only options open to it now not has turned down peace. Did you have to look up your big word? Sorry I studied Latin and Greek at school and am pretty good at Latin (our Greek) derived words.

Totally wrong.....apply a 20% or 30% withholding tax and then make you true it up at the end of the year.....as you have to do if you have a withholding tax on your bank account interest. Cost the government nothing....like VAT. This makes the banks and money transfer companies in Thailand free tax collectors for the government.

So what are they? That we self report and pay taxes we hate? Then most of us will cheat. Not me obviously because I am an honest fellow.

Prove it. Withholding taxers are much more efficient....they could make the banks and money transfer agents tax collectors meaning little effort and costs for themselves. The governments hold all the cars. The US do this all the time...anyone not complying gets hit with a huge fine. FACTA is an example of a government forcing foreign banks, to report earnings....banks already apply withholding taxes on incomes of foreigners, hope easy is it to apply that to any foreign income sent to the same account. True it up at the end of the tax year. If I were the Thai government I would want all foreigners applying to get taxes back at the end of the year.

OF course I did.

No it's not, they could apply a withholding tax to all transfers, easier and simpler, and more likely to get their money.

Are they ever going to announce how they will collect the tax?

The OP never grew up properly. Adult can continue their temper. It seems he cannot. I'd hate to be a friend of his. Sounds like a drunken Brit....any excuse for a punch up. Jesus told you what to do, but you either never received instruction or you chose the path of violence by yourself. Turn the other cheek.

OK I dint want to be rude, but you are making stuff up. The deal was hammered out between the parties and agreement reached. Boris flew over and persuaded Zelensky to pull out. That is the truth.

We had one a 2011 1.6 sport with 77000kms on the clock. Fantastic steering on a low quality crap car in my opinion. I bought it for the wife to learn too drive in, but she didn't like driving and preferred to hire a full-time driver. We went away on vacation and while we were away the driver claimed it had been stopping and starting, then that it broke down. So we got it towed home and had a guy we know look at it....water in the oil, cylinder head warped....need a new engine. Anyway, we had a recon engine fitted for 50,000. The car was too good to scrap, it looks like new, and is good for driving the few km into town. We have two other vehicles so it's a non critical 3rd car. I'll never buy another low quality Ford in my life. Crap cars at high prices.

Sofas are disposable si9ngle use items these days. Throw it away and get a new one in a sale.

What a silly comment.

From my perspective as a peace lover, this is excellent news and probably a reaction to the terrorist attack on the Christmas Markey on Belgorod. I would like to see the war over quickly to save lives of both Ukrainian and Russia soldiers and civilians, and the only way to do that is for Russia to take the gloves off and destroy large parts of Ukraine, including Lviv and Kiev. What is also interesting is the very low number of casualties in Ukraine vs the high number of missiles, drone and bombs sent, particularly compared the shameful planned destruction of innocent life in Israel.

Another silly gimmick.....anything to use technology. Western countries will have laws about unqualified people giving medical advice over the phone. And what about the treatment. Most western countries are not like Thailand, you need a prescription.

I'm sure that the month long songkran will be a huge pull. Expect a massive increase on high spending long haul tourists staying for a long time and spending a fortune this coming April. I'm sure glad TAT thought of this cunning plan, I was worrying how they would make their forecast this year unless they used soft power. I wonder how many tourists will actually come? Top TAT have a forecast for this vital piece of data? Now what I'd like to see is a real plan, one that shows who is going to do what by when to ensure that the soft power is invoked and that every single American and Canadian knows about songkran, and how they will be informed. Will it be a cunning internet plan, or an ad campaign on US and Canadian TV? I can't wait to see what the plan is. The other thing is what will we all do for money when this vast number of tourists leave at the end of April.....won't that be a kind of downer. How about closing the airports to stop them from leaving? TAT could blame a computer glitch and keep them here forever....plus of they keep them here for more than 180 days the authorities can tax all the money they bring over to feed and shelter themselves. Just a thought. Happy New Year TAT. I'm glad you all worked so hard bringing us fascinating statistics every day all through 2023......long may it continue in 2024.

If I wish to pout something brackets, I'll do so. Don't be so petty.

Anybody recognise this car? I've never seen one outside the US. It's called a Saturn, a failed new brand launched by General Motors a million years ago, that failed totally. It was supposed to be high quality and the US answer to Totoya quality, but it had the same poor quality as all the other GM vehicles. I suppose it shows that not only Thais fail to diagnose problems and bring out solutions that lack any sort of success.