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My credit card from another bank got suspended because I was using it to much for their taste as they could see I had not returned to my home country for several months where my account was still registered. I was not charging big amounts but used it like 30 times a month for small stuff like Grab. Better to change adress to Thailand? Not sure if you do not get kicked out from their services if you change your residence to Thailand. Info on real life experiences much appreciated. Thanks!

** Moderator edit to remove flame Capital gains rates in the UK are fixed to my knowledge, in a 10% range and 20% range for CGT. https://taxscouts.com/glossary/capital-gains-tax-cgt/ ** Moderator edit to remove second flame. The 10% band is missing in your chart for the UK, the 40 and 45% bands do not exist in the UK for CGT, you have not taken into account the correct allowances for the UK as they are lower etc... Your conclusion that Thailand is cheaper the higher the capital gains income is therefore dead wrong.

I fully agree that from an immigration perspective that you are not a PERMANENT resident but there is no need that legal obligation that immigration and the tax authority should use the same term. Why should immigration state that you become a tax resident after 180 days? You expect a coherent legal definition over several branches of departments in Thailand and then hope to get a chance in a court? I wish you best of luck 😉

Tax rates starts at 5% but goes up fast to 35%! in Thailand. So if you earn 100K EUR a year the difference is substantial. You made the general statement that thai tax rates are lower which is wrong in the case of capital gains. In Germany I do not pay any tax under 11K Eur a year where in TH I already pay a 10% marginal tax rate. For the US A capital gains rate of 0% applies if your taxable income is less than or equal to: $44,625 for single and married filing separately; $89,250 for married filing jointly and qualifying surviving spouse; and. $59,750 for head of household. I will not talk to you further on this subject anyone interested has seen the facts.

I think you are mixing up the term resident. On the tax side the defintion is clear it is 180 days in Thailand and you are a TAX resident period. Any other legal definition in terms of how long will not matter. You could however hope to seek refuge under an DTA and claim to be only aussie resident with your definition but the outcome will be highly uncertain and very time consuming and very costly.

Nope tax tables are not lower in Thailand in the case of investment income as Thailand does not have a special rate for capital gains as most other countries (US, Germany etc). Most tax residents in TH will only have pensions and investment income.

Reading your great post another red flag for me was raised. If I do not have to file a tax report and most of the expats will not do in 2025 I am sure there will be no real "safety" even after 2025 how this will all play out. Are you 100% sure that one does not have to file? In other countries for example you have to file if you earn foreign income that has not been taxed no matter how neglible the amount. I am aware that this is not really an indication for Thailand but is shows there is the possibility burried somewhere deep in the thai RD laws and directives. Thanks!

I was assuming /apparently wrongly) that you have no other tax residency other then TH so yes you are right your case may be different. Usually you only have one tax residency as most countries use the 183 day rule (AUS, US seem to be the exemption; Germany can be in some cases as well if you still have an abode in GER). On what ground does AUS rule you to be an AUS tax citizen? I think most expats with the exception of the US guys only have one tax residency as they cannot stay more then 183 in another country if they have already stayed 183 in TH. It is my understanding that the Thais can claim income tax from you all the same if the DTA does not prohibit it. In case of GER TH the DTA explicitly states that TH has the right to tax me if I live in TH and have not lived 183 in GER, no idea though about Australian DTA. Especially if you have no other tax residency (or income from the other state) TH can tax you as they please according only to their law. They could for example make up a wealth tax of 10% p.a. and charge it. Every country can make up their own law as you can see in North Korea, Iran etc no matter how outrageous it may seem to us westerners and give us nothing in return. Again I still think TH will not collect or apply these taxes US IRS style but they could.

Thailand can of course tax your worldwide income, if you are a tax resident as the majority of countries do worldwide. The only thing that could stop them would be a DTA but even in most DTAs it is stipulated that the country of (primary) residence aka TH has the right to tax them. I am afraid your legal status (dual pricing, right to vote, free healthcare etc) in TH does not change a thing about the right of taxation. If they will enforce this RD directive in real life is of course a different topic and no one yet knows.

You would have to pay the normal income tax on it, if the directive will be applied as planed (big if I agree)

Very safe to do so yes. Has there ever been anyone indicted for piracy via public torrents in Thailand?

I fully agree with Dogmatix! Why not make the tax guide a sticky item for quick reference (if possible). The guys who want the deep dive need the thread. This taxation issue is a complicated topic so there are no quick answers and a lot of fears and misconceptions which should be adressed in this specifc thread. Thanks to George that he has reopened the thread!

Are you even sure the DTA applies to you and your form of income? If you have cap gains in France from US shares and you do not live any longer in France the DTA is not relevant for you, just as an example.

It is assesable to be precise... It is only taxable if 100% of the amount transfered is profit that arose in 2024

I could not agree more. Prepare for the worst and be happy if the law is not applied/controlled which is likely IMHO.

spot on correct, as there is not data on international remittanced in crs, but the cyclist can't be bothered to admit that he is wrong (again). Crs info does not even show if and how much profit you made, it just shows that you have received amount x by selling share y.

So they were checking that you payed taxes in order to get an extension? If just the witholding tax is sufficient that would be great news . You do not get around the withholding tax on dividends anyway in most cases. Thanks for any clarification!

Tax is levied on worldwide! not just remitted income in Cambodia. A 20 sec google search would have shown it. So if you pay at source, cambodia and TH are the same regarding your pension but NOT regarding other investment income so TH wins hands down.

The law has not changed just the interpretation! I agree it is not nice and the effect is the same as a new law would have, but it is what it is. Happend in several countries before, nothing anyone could do about it, especially as we are both foreigners in Thailand .

No offense but maybe you should read more and post less ...

Another amazing post Ahem cambodia taxes your worldwide income way higher then Thailand... NB: I am talking of course of the legal obligation to pay taxes not if you chose to go rogue etc.

Did it ever occur to you that some people here work in tax consultancy?

Sorry man apparently you do not want to understand that this is possible in most countries. The interpretation of a law changed and therefore it is considered to NOT be retroactively. Happened in Germany a lot of times, of course always in tax laws benefitting the state.

I was nowhere stating that the banks will tax it at source with a withholding tax. I was talking about a LEGAL obligation to file a tax return and then be obliged to pay taxes.

Theoretically yes they could but would never do it as they would lose out a lot of business investments from the US. DTAs are usually decades old and are only changed in minuscule details. For example DTA between Thailand and Germany is from 1968.