federicoP

How the income becomes yours could be important from the point of view of the applicable DTA. For instance generally all the DTAs state that income from immovable property must be taxed only in the country where the property is situated. In this case, if somebody has a property outside Thailand, it would be wise to use a separate account, in his country, where to receive this income and from where to send the money to Thailand. In the case that Thai Revenue asks something about this money transfer, it will be easy to demonstrate that it comes from a property that, based on the DTA, is not taxable in Thailand.

I fear that many of those who are writing on this forum have very little information, if not zero, about what they are writing about.

I have never read anything like this in any official or semi-official Thai document. To tear up international treaties, which are considered a supreme law in many countries and that are discussed and ratified at the highest levels of heads of government or states, an announcement from the Thai Revenue would certainly not be enough. But if you have more specific information on the fact that Thailand intends to unilaterally abrogate its sixty double taxation treaties, it would be interesting to see it.

And to avoid that a person pays twice the tax on his income, there are the Double Tax Agreements, usually based on the model issued by OECD or that one issued by UN. Almost every country has a lot of DTA's, Thailand has DTA with around 60 countries, my country has DTA with around one hundred differrent countries, they are applied normally worldwide without being stamped as "contrary to all international laws". Personally I pay some taxes in Italy and some taxes in Thailand. That's all, no need to despair or to curse.

Yes, and the main part are workers from Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, probaby they would be happy to receive some foreing income. Other foreign westerns are here for business and, as per Wikipedia, the number of retirement visa issued in 2018, that can be interested in this law, was around 80.000. Not exactly a huge number.

We are all upset, we thought we lived in a tax haven and could forget the word "tax", but suddenly we discover that this is not true.........

I do not understand why it is contrary to all international law and dual tax treaties, can you explain me better ? In my native conuntry (Italy) if you import some money from abroad you have to explain from where this money is coming and, if not covered by a TDA, you must pay tax on it. Moreover, if you have any investement abroad, also if not generating income, you are obliged to declare it and to pay a small tax.

Yes. Fortunately we can always return to our native country

This is exactly what will happen in Thailand : you will pay tax if you bring your foreign income to Thailand, unless the DTA help you (and it often helps)

I see a lot of comments about this “stupid/nonsense tax”, as if it had been designed above all to target us expats. I believe that in most of the countries of origin of us expats, if someone is a tax resident (generally if he spends more than six months in the country), he must pay taxes on the investments he holds abroad. And, unlike Thailand, taxes often have to be paid not only when he imports his earnings into the country, but also if he leaves his income abroad. Why do we continue to complain about this new, more restrictive interpretation by the Revenue on a regulation that has already existed for many years and we pretended it didn't exist? Why are we ready to accept certain rules at home but here in Thailand we are not willing to accept them? Do we really believe we live in a more stupid and easy country than our native one ?

Germany-Thailand I suppose you have been, or you still are, resident in Germany and never been resident in UK or USA. The article 1 of your DTA says : This Agreement shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.

Yes, also the DTA between Italy and Thailand states that the tax on the pensions (generally) can be paid in Thailand, and here the taxes are lower than in Italy. For other incomes it is more complicated, it varies from case to case.

If you have only a pension, do not worry, it is not so difficult. It is ten years that I am paying here (Chalong, Phuket) the tax on my pension. My thai is zero and my english is not so fluent, but I go to the local Revenue office bringing my passport and all the data, and they (kindly) help me. When paying the tax here, I also ask for the documents R.O. 21 (Certification, in english, of the amount for which I paid here) and R.O.22 (Certification that I am, for that year, fiscal resident in Thailand). These documents may be useful in relation to the treat against double taxation between my native country and Thailand The tax on the pension is lower here in Thailand and I pay only here the tax on it, as allowed by the DTA. If my native country asks something about the payment for my pension I can show them these documents.

In the past I often went from Rawai to Phuket town for dinner. It was about half an hour. Now, still not the highest season, I continue to go, but it takes me more than an hour. The worrying thing is that I don't see any concrete plan for new traffic and transport management. The only plans are how to increase the number of the arriving tourists.

The Wise debit card also looks interesting for those who often travel abroad. Unfortunately it is not available for every country of residence

Very interesting, thanks, also if MYR is not included in the 13 currencies of this card.

I am going for a few days to Singapore and Malaysia, I am thinking to bring with me also the debit card connected to my saving account at SIam Commercial Bank. I asked SCB about commissions and exchange rates but they have been quite nebulous. Has anybody direct experience of using this debit card abroad ?

In Phuket the Immigration Office has prepared a useful leaflet with a list of requirements necessary for the annual renewal of the permit to stay, and the title of the leaflet is : "Check List for One Year Retirement Visa". Wrong, but I certainly won't be the one to explain them that they are wrong....

Three years ago a Thai carpenter named Eid did some work on my house in Rawai and I was very satisfied with his work and his rates. I reached him through a person who frequented this forum but who now no longer seems to be active. I have an old phone number but no one answers. By any chance does anyone know this carpenter named Eid, hoping he is still working in Phuket, and know how to contact him? Thank you very much

At Bangkok Hospital there is a package : https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/package/platelet-rich-plasma

Thailand has DTA with 61 different countries, it is worth to check his own

Not necessarily, the taxes on your pension could be lower in Thailand than in your native country. Personally I have been paying taxes on my pension in Thailand for ten years and I am saving money. Before going to conclusions much better to read carefully the DTA applicable to his own case

You are signing a contract with someone and you don't know who the other party is? This sounds really alarming......

Obviously I searched with Google, but I didn't find anything that put me on the right path, in fact I found rather imaginative definitions. I think that Google works differently depending on the nationality, the language and the place from which it is consulted. I am sorry.

Thanks, I learned one more new thing