KhunHeineken

Many companies will not send an OTP to a foreign number.

How naive are you???? You are already in their system. The Thai banks report. What planet have you been on????

Why would they have to stay back home. Plenty of other more friendly retirement destinations to go to. Thailand is not the be all and end all.

Foreigners CAN NOT own land in Thailand. Old and tired debate. The result ends up the same. Foreigners CAN NOT own land in Thailand.

You missed the part about the assault.

They will end up getting "jack" of the place eventually, just like the others before them, and leave.

Like I said, the taxi mafia in Phuket are killing the island, literally, and economically.

Per capita???? Link please. Phuket has the highest road death in Thailand of any province. Given Thailand is 9th globally, as a country, and Phuket is the No. 1 province for road death in Thailand, that makes Phuket's roads some one of the most dangerous in the world, if not the most dangerous. Link please. You do know, in Phuket, if you are still alive at the scene, but later die in hospital, it's not counted as a road death. Yes, real 3rd World Country stuff. Can't have ANYTHING tarnishing Phuket's tourism industry. So???? Dead are dead. So???? Dead are dead? Ok. Interesting you don't touch on intoxication. Ever asked yourself if if one would ride under the influence, if they could get home, or to their hotel, for 10 baht, like in Pattaya???? Per capita???? Link please. Rubbish. I lived in Phuket a while ago. The reason I moved to Pattaya was because of the taxi mafia. They restricted my freedom of movement. They wanted 400 baht from Patong to Kata Beach in the afternoon, and 800 baht from Kata Beach back to Patong in the evening. It's about a 5km journey, not to mention the robberies on that stretch of road at night. What myself, and some friends would do, is ride to Kata in the afternoon, get a cheap 500 baht hotel, have a few beers to be over the limit, stay the night, and ride back sober the next day. Yes, a destination only 5kms away was an overnight stay. Such was the taxi mafia rip off. Didn't you say there was no problem???? Now you agree they have a "hold" and use violence. You have contradicted yourself. What about the tourists???? 200 baht just to get into a Phuket tuktuk, with no air conditioning, and no seat belts, and then the price goes up from there, versus hiring a motorbike for a day for 150 baht. No wonder so many "Go Fund Me's " come out of Phuket. Rubbish. Dated a few days ago. Quality public transport in Phuket. https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2025/03/09/russian-tourist-seeks-justice-after-assault-in-phuket-taxi/ Again, it reads like you own a business in Phuket and are downplaying the taxi mafia there. I remember seeing all the coach buses for tourists some years ago. It was that bad the tour groups chartered buses, and then ended up buying their own buses and hiring drivers, and offering transport to all the major tourist attractions in Phuket, just to protect the package holiday makers from the taxi mafia. For many tourists, using Phuket tuktuks only a couple of times a day was more expensive that the cost of their hotel room for the day. They don't call Phuket "Pirate Island" for nothing.

As another member alluded to some time ago, it shifts accountability. The TRD have a problem with your filing, take it up with the agent. I also don't have to deal with Thai authorities. I don't have to queue and get f*cked around for not having a photocopy etc. Also, the agent can "negotiate" ones tax bill. Real 3rd World Country stuff. This first year is a test for me. If it works out ok, all well and good. If I have to pay an amount I think no longer represents Thailand as value for money retirement destination, then it's 6 months Thailand and 6 months Vietnam. I have no financial or emotional ties here. I am not a pensioner. I am self funded.

No angle from me. I don't own a business here. I don't own a property here. I have never sent money for sick buffalo. I have not adopted an extended Thai family, and all their BS problems. I have nothing that I can't sell at a fire sale, donate, or throw away, and head straight to the airport in 24 hours, should I need to, or want to. I show Thailand as much loyalty as Thailand shows me, which is ZERO. I make Thailand work for me, not me work for Thailand. I have no agenda. I don't give a rats a** if someone knows they have remitted assessable income but does nothing. I don't give a rats a** if someone knows they have remitted income that is non assessable and does nothing. I don't trust the Thai authorities, from any department. I never have, and never will. Thailand is an unstable, 3rd World Country, and farang have zero rights here. As I have said before, I will be filing, declaring, paying or not paying, just to get the magic piece of paper which may, or may not, be needed to deal with any nasty surprises in the future. I have no doubt this tax policy will evolve, and be tweaked, to turn a baht out of it. Does that clarify my position to you?

Does it matter if you like what you see and hear on a video call, and then in the real life face to face meeting?

Yet, when they eventually get the "We have overpaid you. You must pay it back" letter, they will ask, WHY?

Sure. Like I have said, good luck to everyone with their strategy and decisions in relation to this tax policy. I will feel more comfortable knowing I have filed and have a document to prove it. Each to their own.

I'm not. I've wished everyone well with their decision. I am just choosing to file, declare, pay, and have a document proving I have. I don't trust the Thai authorities. Simple as that. I haven't posted instruction.s As for guess work, well, it's hard to deny that requiring foreigners to have a TRD document at extension time ensures compliance. Is that a fact, or an opinion, or guess work???? I would say it's a fact, but it's only my opinion that it will eventually happen. Is there anything wrong with considering that it may happen in the future?

Breaching immigration laws is not a criminal offense. Tax evasion is a criminal offense. The Thai's don't make money out of over stayers. Here's this tax policy just ripe for manipulation for extorting money but some members don't view it seriously. That's fine, each to their own, but others will cover their a**. No change of mind. I was always going to use an agent. Not scaremongering. I'm just not in the DO NOTHING camp. Members in the do nothing camp seem to think other members give a rats. They don't. Those who file will have a document from the TRD, and those who do nothing will not. I know which one I would rather, so I'll file. There is no right or wrong to this. I am just choosing to cover my a** from any unforeseen things that may come up in this "test year" for this tax policy.

I have never said it is in place NOW, have I? It's not in place now, but can YOU guarantee it will not be policy in the future, no, I didn't think so. Do you think it prudent members consider that it may be policy in the future????

Last I heard, Phuket had the highest road death of all the provinces in Thailand, and given that Thailand is in the Top 10 countries in the world for road death, that makes Phuket's roads the one of the most dangerous in the world. The reason is, the tax mafia and their high prices pushes everyone into a car or onto a bike, even after drink. If that's not killing, what is? Higher in Phuket, due to the tax mafia. Imagine the the drop in accidents if the tuktuks would drive around on routes like the baht buses do in Pattaya. Why does it work so so well in Pattaya, but Phuket is not allowed to have a similar system?

Another reason is the retirement visa / extension is nothing more than a 12 month tourist visa that can be extended in country. Thailand does not have a reasonable pathway to permanent residency or citizenship, so whilst you may own a property in Thailand. it's possible you may not get a visa in the future to live in it.

Everyone has to access to a vehicle in Phuket, otherwise, you are at the mercy on the land transport mafia. They have been slowly killing Phuket for years. Little wonder that Phuklet has one of the highest road death stats in Thailand, which puts it on par with the highest road death stats in any country in the world.

The freelancers have no problem with a video a call. A lot of pretty girls on the apps. No lady drinks and and bar fines. No bar hoping and BS. Dial them up from the pool side, and arrange to meet later. It's the way of the future for Pattaya.

For how long???? Also, as another member said, farang are different. and easy targets. In any case, just do what you want, but stop trying to convince others on this forum that doing nothing in relation to this tax policy is the right way to go just because you chose to do nothing. It smells of desperation.

I've "talked" but soon I will action. Once again, good luck to those who have decided to do nothing, but just stop selling it on this forum to justify your own inaction on this Thai tax policy. because it's laughable.

Huh? When immigration scan an individual's passport at an airport, they know within seconds if that individual is an overstay, or not. With a simple software tweak, they will know if more than 180 days in the calendar year. If so, it ill probably go as follows: IO: Do you have tax paper? Tax Resident: No. IO: You must go over to that desk. Tax Resident: Ok. All done in 1 minute at the first immigration check point. Tourists will not be inconvenienced. Now, at the TRD desk for the tax resident, that's a different matter. Now, say there are 300,000 farang retirees in Thailand who Thai authorities DO NOT know their source of income. As I have said before, why doesn't every expats just say their remittances are non assessable,and we get the Mods to close all these threads. It's that simple. Up to them, but that's what I will be doing. Link please? Extra 10,000 TRD staff for what???? Computers do it all. As I have said before, they will not hire any more staff, just the queue will go out the door and down the street. TiT. Do you really think it;'s about service delivery? It's about making more money with the same resources, in this case, human resources, and they couldn't care less if farang are standing in the hot sun for hours.

Rubbish. Members have reported filing, declaring, paying or not paying, and leaving with a document proving so. As some other members have said, do what you want. No one cares. Don''t look for any justification on this forum. I will file, declare, pay some tax, and have a document proving so. Will I need said document this year, probably not. Will I need said document in the future, in my opinion, yes, it will be needed. Goof Luck to everyone with whatever decision they make, but I know I will be able to prove I have complied.

Media says it;s $4.60. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/the-welfare-payments-set-to-increase/n42gvk34r