KhunHeineken

Fail.

No. I was told such discussion could cause undue stress to some elderly folk. Yes, elderly folk who are surrounded by prostitutes, cannabis, alcohol, rock n roll, and corruption, will be stressed by some forum chat about whether a certificate of clearance MAY be needed in the future for their extension.

How so? In my opinion, members sprouting "just do nothing, it will never happen" is more dangerous than giving consideration the what moves the Thai government might make. There's no news on Thaksin's future, nor the next Thai lottery winning numbers, the weather, whatever, so what? Question: If I started a thread titled "Will they raise the 800k to 1 million baht?" Is that scaremongering. or just a discussion exploring how it's been 800k for decades, yet the value of that 800k has diminished, so it's probably due for a rise? What evidence do you have about any of this tax policy? Zero. We are all speculating what MAY happen and in my opinion there's nothing wrong giving some consideration to collection and enforcement.

Strange how there's harsh penalties for being caught as an overstay, but so many believe there will be no enforcement for the tax policy. They'll have to enforce it somehow.

The Mods. I, and many others, had their posts discussing it deleted.

I bet his local bar has since gone broke.

Noooooooo. I have always said everyone's circumstances are different. If your pension is covered by a DTA, good luck to you. The Australian pension (I'm not on it) is not covered by the DTA. It's important for members to note that not all DTA's are the same.

Some good points, and worthy of consideration. I said from day one the Thai government must have something up their sleeve. if they have, they haven't revealed it yet, but the clock is ticking, and we'll soon see if they have.

I'm Australian. The Australia / Thailand DTA only covers government service pensions, not the aged pension. The Australian aged pension is not covered under our DTA. I don't know what country you are from, perhaps you can post it.

I have a feeling there's more to the story.

You guys can't even house your own criminal citizens. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd1jxmrk11yo

Strange how the descendants of 1945 are treating the Palestinians at this very moment. A sitting Prime Minister has an international warrant for war crimes, yet, just like in 1945, governments / people sit back and do nothing. UN stands for "Useless Numpty's." Over 45 thousand dead, mostly women and children, in an area 40kms x 20kms. The Gaza Strip is nothing more than a kill zone. There's no hope for humanity. We will always repeat the past.

Guess who's got the business, and rid of him?

From the photos, it looks like he was living better than many expats up in the village.

I don't think it's wild speculation. The Thai government have a few options, one of them being to just do nothing, but I don't think they will take that option.

I agree with what you say, however, is it possible they may use this tax policy to "tip out" Cheap Charlies, thus, only keeping the retired expats with money? Whilst we know the Thai economy is not in good shape, why are they pulling the trigger now on this?

I said exactly that from day one, and it was called "scaremongering." Discussion that connected this tax policy with immigration and a visa extension was not allowed. I would not be surprised if exactly what you describe is the way it unfolds.

Not quite. Many other countries offer a reasonable pathway to permanent residency and / or citizenship. Perhaps not necessary to return to one's home country for either of the above.

Some people's lifestyle here will just not allow them to minimize their tax to a point they pay next to nothing. Not every retiree is living on a pension from month to month. In any case, it may not go down the path of being seriously implemented. Maybe it will be no more than what I have just described in another post, that is, simply paying for a certificate of clearance.

I never used the words "strictly enforce." I've said from day one it might be just paying 300, 500 or 1000 baht for a certificate of clearance that will be needed for an extension, in the same way we pay 300 bah for a certificate of residence. Maybe the TRD just want a similar corrupt perk. The Thai's will have "face" because they are seen to be "taxing" foreigners. There will be a easy and simple extra corrupt earner for the TRD. Foreigners will be happy because it's only 1000 baht when they should be paying more, so no need to leave Thailand for 6 months. Who knows how this will unfold, but I also said from day one, we'll have to pay "something" and that "something" may not necessarily mean one's correct amount of tax.

Getting back on topic, say this tax policy goes ahead, what enforcement options do you think they will implement?

I know it's a lot more complicated, I agree with you on that. However, I would not be surprised if the Thai government simplifies it in order to still make a baht, but the system is basically laughed at. I have even said all the TRD might want is 1000 baht out of every expat tax resident for a document needed for an extension, just like the certificate of residence. It should be free, but most pay 300 baht. Some shouldn't have to pay the 1000 baht but will have to pay it anyway, and others should pay maybe 100,000 baht but only pay 1000 baht. It could be laughable, but at the end of the day, that money goes into the pocket of the TRD, and goes all the way to the top. Another method is all they may do is ask you to produce a document from your Thai bank showing your overseas remittances. They may tax you on that figure and not explore the the source of the income. If you refuse, no extension, and leave Thailand, and come back on a tourist visa. I have posted before, who is brave enough, or stupid enough, to take the TRD to court over this? They will make an example of anyone doing so. Basically, it will be pay "something" or no extension. Like yourself, I can't see them being interested or care about assessable / non assessable, pre 2024 savings blah blah blah. They will simplify it and give you the bill. Pay it, or accept the consequences.

It's not about if paying the tax is a problem, it's about what the Thai government can / may / will do if people do not pay tax. I've suggested no visa / extension to be one method of enforcement they may consider.

I've never suggested expat retirees were targets, or being targeted. Expat retirees simply meet the definition of a resident of Thailand for tax purposes, being in Thailand for 180 days, thus, are open to being taxed the same a Thai national who may also be a resident of Thailand for tax purposes.

The Thai economy is not in great shape. They will be chasing every baht from everyone. The Director General has been tasked with broadening Thailand's tax base. That means, getting more people on their tax books, including foreigners. Time will tell how this unfolds.