KhunHeineken

Banks are corporations. The TRD is a government department. The way the agents take care of the bank document couldn't be done that way with the TRD. However, as I have said in the past, the Certificate of Clearance could end up being like the Certificate of Residence. We all pay a flat fee of say 1000 baht to the TRD, NO RECEIPT, so you know where the money goes, right? We give it to immigration and we are good for the extension. For high net worth individuals, they might pull out the rule book. Time will tell how all this unfolds.

I guess my post left you speechless.

Happy to hear why you think it's fantasy. I'm not the only one to suggest the Thai government may go down this route so ensure compliance. Are you one of the ones that believe it will all go away and we can all just sit back and do nothing?

Not due to 31st March 2025. Why would there be a mention in November 2024?

You misquoted me.

How so? Serious question. It's the easiest and cheapest and quickest method to ensure compliance. It makes foreigners go to the TRD Office. Once again, people ask "why would they" but not ask "why wouldn't they?" Can you post your reasoning for why you think they will not go down this route, this year, or in the future?

I know, I know. It's just soooooooo many expats see the word "pension" in the DTA, and ignore the words "government service" and think that because their government gives them an old aged pension, which is welfare, it's therefore a "government pension" so covered in the DTA. They totally disregard the word "service."

Says he who said they would NEVER legalize cannabis, even after they actually legalized it.

Cannabis is here already, casinos are coming. Both are just new revenue streams, and so this tax will be also. The difference is, they can't make you smoke, and they can't make you gamble, but the can make you pay some tax.

Not rocket science, is it?

Out of their jurisdiction. They would need to set up a joint task force. They can be present at the raid / arrest, but it has to be done by Thai police. If the crime happened in Thailand, they are charged and brought before a court in Thailand. If the crime happened in Australia, they are extradited and charged and brought before a court in Australia.

Headline No. 3 "Two Australian Federal Police arrested in Pattaya now admit to not being Australian Federal Police."

What are you basing this on? Do you have a link?

I understand. I stayed for 2024, minimized my remittances, brought a wad of cash back from the Singapore F1, and also had a friend bring in a wad of cash for me from my home country as well. I'll instruct a tax agent / accountant to file and declare at the 11th hour in March and see what happens. If I have to pay an amount of tax that I think is fair, I'll repeat the same in 2026. If I have to pay an amount of tax I think is a rip off, I'm off to Vietnam for the second half of 2025. I'm giving the Thai's a chance. Perhaps, silly me, but they will only get me once.

Immigration Officer: "Do you have certificate from TRD?" Expat: "No." Immigration Officer: "Must have certificate from TRD to make extension. You go TRD first." Expat: "Ok." All it would take is the order to come down from Bangkok, and another document would be needed at extension time. A lot easy to implement than tourist tax. No real "communication" needed between the departments. Just tell one department a certificate is now needed from the other department. As I have said, they have expats by the b*lls and they know it. No real "ifs and buts" about it. It's a no brainer for the Thai government. The certificate from the TRD will be like the bank document. I would be interested to know how you propose to get around the above?

As I posted before, and another member also. Immigration Officer: "Do you have certificate from the TRD?" Expat: "No." Immigration Officer: "Can not do extension without certificate from TRD. You go see TRD first." Expat: "Ok." Yes, rocket science, computer data bases, and some magic. Just another document needed at extension time. No bank document, no extension. No TRD certificate, no extension. Same Same. The order comes down from Bangkok, and that's it. It would be so simple for them to do it that I will be very surprised if it does not go that way at some stage this year, or in the future.

Don't confuse a "Government Service Pension" with an old aged pension. The government service pension is covered by the DTA, the old aged pension is not.

Tomorrow's headline, "Two Australian Federal Police Officers arrested in Pattaya for working without a work permit."

I agree 100%. I've been saying it since Day 1. It's that obvious, and that easy to implement, the people asking "why would they" should be asking "why wouldn't they?"

Yes, but there are a couple of certainties. 1) Only stay in Thailand 179 days and Thailand's tax policy is not applicable to you. 2) File, declare, pay or no pay some tax, and you are done with it. Just like paying any other bill. Chose one of the above and move on with your life, and don't forget, one of the above means no problem at extension time, which is bound to be a method used for compliance, either this year, or in the future.

The aged pension is not covered by the DTA. The aged pension is assessable in Thailand. If all of the aged pension is remitted to Thailand, it goes over the threshold. Whilst the tax liability on an aged pension in Thailand would not be too much, it's more than what has had to be paid before, which was zero.

There's a few recent youtube videos from law and accounting firms in the other threads about this. They have qualified Thai tax experts saying otherwise. Who should we believe, a low ranked TRD staff member, or the various Thai tax experts? If it all turned pear shaped, do you think the TRD staff member would admit to giving the incorrect advice? If the same guy went to a different province and asked someone in the TRD there the same questions, and got different answers, which version would / should he accept?

No, but possibly no visa extension. Ask yourself this question, "If every foreigner didn't file, what course of action would the Thai government take to force them to file?" Why go around arresting them when they must go to an immigration office?

How did he know they were Australian Federal Police? It could have been a kidnapping. This was a well known case in Pattaya some years ago, but recently, we have seen the Chinese doing it, although they tend to demand a ransom from family back in China. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/782765/2-arrested-for-pattaya-kidnap-murder-of-aussie-hell-angel

I'm not British, nor am I overly familiar with the UK / Thailand DTA. I believe this is the UK / Thai DTA. Article 19. Governmental Services (1) (a) Remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to any individual in respect of services of a governmental nature rendered to that State or subdivision or local authority thereof shall be taxable only in that State. (b) However, such remuneration shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered in that State and the recipient is a resident of that other Contracting State who: (i) is a national of that State; or (ii) did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of performing the services. (2) (a) Any pension paid by the Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to any individual in respect of services of a governmental nature rendered to that State or subdivision or local authority thereof shall be taxable only in that State. (b) However, such pension shall be taxable only in the other contracting State if the recipient is a national of and a resident of that State. I can understand your Fire Brigade pension being covered by the DTA, Australia's DTA with Thailand is similar. It covers government service pensions, but the old age pension is not a government service pension. Where do your other two pension fit in with the UK / Thailand DTA?