KhunHeineken

"victimless crime" - really???? You have no idea. How many criminals commit crimes to support their habit, once addicted? Not everyone is a stock broker or lawyer and able to afford their habit. How many borrow, then steal, from friends and family, then turn to crime and / or prostitution? "victimless crime" - don't kid yourself. Now, does the war on drugs work, NO. There are no easy answers, but at some stage, the community needs to to be protected from an individual who NEEDS to commit crime to support their habit, and that means incarceration. Note I said protect the community, not punish the drug addict.

I think you will find most of the decent bands in town these days are Filipino. Nothing wrong with that, either. They are friendly, and come and have a chat with you during a break and ask what music you like.

I will be using an agent. I minimize my contact with Thai government officials whenever I can. Like some other members, I will pay just to have a certificate to say I have paid, so none of any of this can come back to bite me, particularly at extension time. Depending on the size of that payment, determines if I remain in Thailand for the second half of 2025. That said, I reduced my remittances in 2024, and brought in cash from the Singapore F1, and also had a friend bring in some cash from Australia. Both were reasonable amounts, and in Thai baht. I am over the threshold, so I'll see how good the agent is.

For Aussie members. It appears the ATO have no problem with the exchange of your financial information with Thailand. https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/commitments-and-reporting/in-detail/privacy-and-information-gathering/privacy-policy Disclosing personal information to overseas recipients While most of the personal information we collect about you is retained in Australia, there are circumstances where we provide personal information to overseas recipients. We do this in accordance with international tax treaties and tax information exchange agreements. Tax treaties Tax treaties are also referred to as tax conventions or double tax agreements. The purpose of these agreements is to exchange tax information relevant to the tax administration of the respective countries to the agreement. We do this to prevent double taxation, tax fraud and tax evasion. Tax information exchange agreements We also use tax information exchange agreements (TIEA) to combat overseas tax evasion. The agreements allow us to exchange information with our TIEA partners. TIEAs promote fairness and enhance our ability to administer and enforce Australia’s own domestic tax laws. Countries and other jurisdictions personal information is disclosed to The countries and other jurisdictions that currently have tax treaties and tax information exchange agreements with Australia are listed in Appendix 2.

And I stated that simple task is not so simple for the elderly with mobility issues. "Bought and paid for" but you don't own the land they sit on. Not very wise, and hardly something to brag about. No, but crossing a border is crossing a border. It means you leave Thailand, does it not? I rent a nice condo in Pattaya with water views and fast internet, and the balcony gets plenty of sunshine.

Edward Snowdon hasn't.

This seems to be the source of some debate. Exempt, or not, it's certainly remitted funds. The funny thing is, I can't see any test cases brought about by foreigners against the TRD / Thai government in relation to this tax. Such a case would probably be not only a waste of time, as there would not be a fair hearing, but risky if one wanted to continue to reside here. On that basis, many tax disputes involving foreigners may never go to a Thai court for determination. Like I have said, they have us by the b*lls here, and they know it.

The Thai's know they are on to something with this, and no way will they just let it fade away. 2025 is just the start. This tax policy will evolve, but at the end of the day, it will have something in it for all foreigners living here.

Everything.

Sometimes it can turn up, just a little latter than expected. Governments all around the world are broke. They are looking for every bit of revenue they can find.

i live in Pattaya. I read the news from back home everyday. The country's going down the tubes.

I expect to see a couple of high net worth individuals, possibly Chinese, paraded before the media for not paying this tax. You've lived in Thailand long enough to know the Directory General will order it done, so he can say to his boss and the public, "See, we are catching them and making them pay tax." It goes to "face." Time will tell.

Obviously, the tax payer, of which I am one. I pay VAT on every purchase. Eg. groceries, petrol etc etc. I am a renter here. I pay my landlord every month. If they don't pay income tax on my rent, is that my fault? I go out a lot to hospitality venues, like restaurants and bars. Such establishments may be profitable. If these businesses / companies don't pay tax, is that my fault? Also, there are many things that are "user pay" here. Eg. tolls. I pay to use the road. You have confused "tax" with "infrastructure funding." An example is, I turn the light switch on and the light comes on. I pay for the electricity (the product I am consuming) and I pay rent on the property where the light switch is. The profits from selling me the electricity goes towards the infrastructure to keep selling me electricity, their product. Now, if the landlord does not pay income tax, to fund schools, hospitals, emergency services etc, is that my fault? Perhaps you can tell me what, exactly, am I taking OUT of the Thai economy by way of using their infrastructure? If I use medical, I must pay up front. If I use the airport, I pay airport taxes. If I use the road, I pay tolls. If I buy something from a shop, I pay VAT. You make it sound like every expat living in Thailand is using Thai infrastructure without contributing. Nothing could be further than the truth.

As reported. https://www.9news.com.au/national/cost-of-beer-about-to-go-up-as-six-monthly-excise-kicks-in-australia/a4426ee6-526a-4ba5-8455-41f9c0a5c204 "It means a pint of beer could rise to about $15 as early as next week."

Did you not see my post where I said it's "in the mail?" It's not if, just when. This tax policy will evolve. 2025 is just the start. You remind me of all the guys that said cannabis would never be legalized.

+1 Many still believe if their money is taxed in one country, under a DTA, it can't be taxed in a second country. Not correct.

Put the champagne on ice. Not long now. http://australiandebtclock.com.au

What do you get in return for paying this tax? No extra use of infrastructure. Eg: medical. No reasonable pathway to permanent residency. You get NOTHING. Just another expense for farang living in Thailand, that comes with ZERO benefit, however small. I don't blame anyone for minimizing their exposure to this tax, or leaving for 6 months and not paying 1 baht of this tax.

The LTR is not everything it's cracked up to be.

That's the DTA myth. I posted this in another thread. I'll post it again here for you.

Your prize in in the mail. You won the right to be taxed on your world wide income. Congratulation.

This is exactly what I have done with immigration, and exactly what I will do in relation to this tax policy. I do not want to have ANY contact with ANY Thai government employees, and I am prepared to pay for the privilege. The agents can deal with them, at their quoted price. If anything comes back to me, I'll hand it on the agent and tell them to take care of it. Of course I will check their work, but if I have the various documents for immigration and the TRD, I consider the job done for the year.

I think the chaos will only get worse as the 31st March approaches. Then, there will be cases of enforcement being publicized to ponder. Interesting times ahead, but in my opinion, at the end of the day, the Thai's will turn a baht out of it.

Pensions are well documented in the Australia / Thailand DTA. Article 18 and Article 19 specifically set out the rules between the two countries regarding pensions. Government service pensions are covered by the DTA. The aged pension welfare payment is not covered by the DTA. Both are deemed to be an "income" at Australian tax law.

Maybe he never wanted to come back anyway. Quite common for first time tourists who go to Phuket.