KhunHeineken

You are correct, but unlike so many others here, for me, Thailand is not the be all and end all. I like Vietnam as well. Should we talk about using Thai nominees to own a property???? How many are rolling that dice? Maybe let's leave that "dice." If they make changes that sees my living in Thailand untenable, I'll switch to tourist visas for 179 days a year. No tax exposure. No immigration exposure. I'm just a tourist. Total tax and immigration freedom. What's the downside????????

Whilst there is some truth to your statement, I'm single, rent, don't sent money for sick buffalo, didn't move 800k to a 3rd World Country bank and use an agent. I have nothing I can't leave within hours and head straight to the airport and never come back, should I need to or want to. This is by design. My losses would be a secondhand motor bike, and a good entertainment system. Both I could sell to friends over some phone calls. I make Thailand work for me, not me, or my money, working for Thailand. As I have said in the past, I show Thailand as much loyalty as Thailand shows me - zero. Thailand does not even offer a reasonable pathway to permanent residency, so what's that say about them wanting farang here? As mentioned above. I'm single. I have not dug a hole for myself here. Yes, farang puppets, dangling on their Thai master's stings. Not for me. Drawing maps and taking photos of each other in the bedroom. Treated lower than a soi dog. This guy would have got less time for killing a farang. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2938700/extra-prison-time-for-policeman-who-killed-beloved-campus-dog

That's my understand, and as an experienced diver, I would have expected this guy to abort the dive and recheck equipment. Once again, I am not saying that's what happened in this case, just saying, I would not be surprised if the practice happened. I accept this, but the question remains, is it possible tanks are under filled? That's a yes or no answer. Perhaps it's a money spinning idea. Less air in tanks, shorter dives, more divers / dives in a day. MONEY NUMBER ONE here. I addressed this above. I didn't post it first. I just said it would not surprise me, and gave other examples of the many deaths that occur in Thailand for similar reasons. It's not always the blind drunk backpacker on a motor scooter speeding that crashes and dies. In many cases, and I have named a few, and you can check them out, the Thai's are to blame.

Yes, and stay safe out there.

Nothing happens here that "tarnishes" Thailand's tourism industry. It's always the tourist's fault. How can you say it didn't happen in this case? Were you there? Young diver, going for a dive, throws a tank on, tank SHOULD be full, gauge says down a bit. Assumes gauge is inaccurate, continues with the dive regardless. Recipe for disaster. Not saying that's what happened in this case, but you can't say the tanks here are ALWAYS full, can you?

Yeah, yeah, tell the TRD / Immigration that. This has been debated over and over and over. The TRD don't know one's funds are "exempt" unless you declare to them they are. Yes, let's just say that. Handy for the Thai's to manipulate, right? Just the way they like it. Once again, you, and others, are relying on Thailand to get it 100% up to date, correct, accurate, modern, efficient etc etc. The fact that it's not seems to be the excuse you will use and then I have a feeling they will say. GOTCHA, and screw you, but that's just my opinion. I'll file, declare, pay or no pay, get my piece of paper for doing so, and sleep well. Depending on the "pay" will determine the amount of time I stay in Thailand each year in the future. Do nothing because the forms don't have this or have that, assssable, non assessable, pre 2024 savings, blah, blah, blah, you roll the dice. True, and your point is?

What a strange video. He basically says, because Thailand doesn't bother enforcing their labor laws, they will also not bother enforcing their tax laws, so no need to worry about anything, no tax to pay. Well, enforcing labor laws costs money, and enforcing tax laws makes money. Yes, yes, I know, I know, rocket science.

I agree with your assessment, but it's on record that the Minster has been tasked with expanding Thailand's tax base. That means, tax residents and income earners. Add into that those remitting funds, both Thai and foreigners, and anyone else they can scoop up in the net, including companies. I would think 75% may not be far from the mark. Many here are living pension day to pension day. Thus, not pre 2024 "savings." The numbers have been crunched by members here and most pensions from developed nations exceed the threshold here, so pensioners will have some tax to pay, if they move all of their pension to Thailand each month. When news of this tax policy broke, everyone viewed it differently, because we are all individuals. It's just in my nature to look straight to collection and enforcement, but particularly enforcement. I tried to discuss it back then, but had many posts deleted as "scaremongering." I was one of the first to put forward enforcement will be attached to visas / extensions. I maintain that stance today. If not in 2025, in the future at some point. You are correct, it's been there in the past, but the Thai government has not decided to tap this previously untapped revenue stream until now. As I have said, a tax policy without collection and enforcement is no tax policy at all. Interesting times ahead.

I'm quite sure you just can't "tell" them, you have to prove it to them with documents. I accept this, but not everyone may have a diversified portfolio. Would one really restructure, possibly at some cost, their portfolio just to maintain some privacy from the Thai government? I agree. I simply opted for the retirement / extension route, via an agent. No 800k in a 3rd World Country bank, no dealing with immigration and the associated paperwork and running around and waiting in queues. As I have said, with the 800k invested in my home country at more than 5%, the interest more than pays for the agent, but I do laugh at expats who proudly claim their extension only costs 1900 baht. They don't factor in the lost interest, not to mention the all the running around and waiting around.

The writing is on the wall. You called it "unprovable conspiracy theory claptrap." How wrong you were. How embarrassing for you.

It's funny how expats are meticulous when it comes to their reporting and extensions, yet it appears many are not taking this tax seriously. Most expats abide by Thai laws, yet it appears many are contemplating pushing the boundaries of Thai tax law at best, and breaking Thai tax law at worse. I see this Thai tax law as akin to a Thai visa / extension. You just jump through some hoops and pay, otherwise, there are consequences. The "I'll do nothing" crowd is interesting, but each to their own.

Yes, and that is my plan, should it happen. 179 days in Thailand, 179 days in Vietnam, 7 days in Singapore for the Formula 1. Still, world wide income is an issue.

Wow. How out of touch are you???????? Do you even know what "CBDC" is? (Central Bank Digital Currency) It's all over the net. Educate yourself. Here's just a few from the first page of a Google search. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/central-bank-digital-currency-cbdc.asp https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/the-digital-pound https://www.federalreserve.gov/cbdc-faqs.htm https://theconversation.com/will-digital-currencies-become-the-norm-as-the-world-moves-towards-a-cashless-society-233069 https://www.ft.com/partnercontent/ripple/the-new-money-why-governments-are-taking-their-currencies-digital.html

Do you deny it happens? Don't get me wrong. It's all theatrics, portraying "anger" so as to demand more money out of the farang. I've seen it many times.

I agree. You could live here for 20 years, have a wife, children, a house, a car, a business, investments, and you will have no more rights or access to services than a tourists on a 30 day visa exemption stamp. Now, they want you to pay more money to still have the same zero rights and access as a tourist. Yes, it is laughable. For some, it will make more economic sense to become a tourist in Thailand for 179 days a year.

The same was said about the overloaded speed boats from Samui to Koh Phangan, with the drunk skippers, on full moon party nights. Anything that "tarnishes" Thailand's tourism industry, the response is the same, deny, deny deny. When the death toll got so bad they put a Thai Navy check point in between the islands. Then, there was the bed bug spray in a hotel in Chiang Mai, and elsewhere. Deny, deny, deny until the family of one deceased had an independent autopsy done in their home country and the truth was undeniable. There's also the methanol poisoning from Lao Khao. We have just seen the tragedy in Laos. It happens in Thailand also. Deny, deny, deny. There's also the coach bus crashes that's killed hundreds here. The bus driver, Somchai, is on 300 baht a day, the cheapest he company could get, and he has so many lives in his hands. Do I know for certain this practice of under filling tanks happens, no. Would it surprise me if it did happen, no, and that's the sad thing about Thailand, MONEY NUMBER ONE, so cut safety corners, maximize profits, and life is cheap.

To my knowledge, the LTR visa involved applying with documents setting out your income per year. I had a look at it and I can qualify, but I don't want to tell the Thai government anything, let alone prove to them my income. I am sure everything is fine for you now, but is it possible that if / when world wide income is implemented, they know all of your financials and will tax you accordingly. I saw the LTR as bait for a tax trap. Just too much information required about income. I would have rather just paid 200,000 baht up front for it, no questions asked, but given the tax on remittances, probably wouldn't have gone down the LTR visa path anyway.

The funds will still be remitted. All you are doing is spreading the remittances over several recipients. Your daughter in the UK may also have some tax implications, but I am not a Brit, so I'm not up with this. You are basically trying to use Thai proxies to circumvent the tax policy. I have no problem at all with tax minimization, however, the tax is on the money in this case, not necessarily the person, if you can look at it that way. All you would be doing is shifting the tax liability onto some Thai's in the family. Your "cunning plan" may buy you some time, but as I have said before, I have a feeling that a foreigner living in Thailand on "air" is going to come under scrutiny at some stage.

I'm sure we will hear more from the Director General before the the 31st March. Particularly as his brief seems to be broadening Thailand's tax base. Hopefully, his statements will be published by a credible media source. Until then, unless he comes out and makes bold statements like, for example, "foreigners remitting a pension DO NOT have to file" or similar very direct and concise statements, I will be filing and declaring. I will pay this year, but if I feel it's a rip off, it's 179 days in Thailand, and the rest in Vietnam.

What I stated is a long way off, but is already being planned. What is currently here and now is the ability for one to make their crypto private and untraceable.

Oh. I'm guessing toxicology results will be important in this case.

Governments are moving towards their country's "currency" being crypto, and their country cashless. Workers will be paid in crypto, and consumers will buy in crypto. I will not live to see it in my life time, but it's already being planned. Then, the government will know where every single "coin" is sourced for every citizen, and where and when it's paid, and spent, and by who, and to whom. Many seem to think a cashless society will be just using Visa Card or MasterCard. No, the master plan is blockchain crypto, but centralized, rather than decentralized.

All too common here. Yes, the accident is the foreigners fault. However, when the agro starts, they are in fear for their safety and drive of. Basically, the accident is the foreigners fault, but the drive off is the Thai's fault.

Is it know if he was free diving or scuba diving at the time? One is a lot more dangerous than the other. One can really push the limits beyond their capabilities when free diving.

You raise an interesting point, and one that I have know since this tax news broke, but others may not have given thought to it. We all know "Thailand is for Thai's" and "You will always be a farang here" and the dual pricing, no rights, foreign ownership of property etc etc etc etc. Basically, tolerated, but not accepted. Now, along comes this tax policy, and isn't it funny that for once foreigners are on equal par with Thai's, but unfortunately, it's to do with revenue raising. So, rejoice AN members and readers, if you stay in Thailand for 180 days, you will be treated equally as a Thai. Wonderful news, isn't it.