intrepidphil

Hi, I need some advice from anyone who knows about VAT.
We operate a hotel booking agency. Our commission on room sales is usually around 10% of the sale price.

As we only earn 10% it is impossible for us to pay 7% VAT on the gross. The remaining 3% wouldn't cover bank credit card charges (a further 2%) + our running costs.

The hotels and wholesalers that we are the agent for, issue us with invoices and receipts for the full cost of the rooms at our nett rate. This makes it impossible for us to book only our commission.

I have heard from local hotel owners that they pay only VAT on their Operating Profit, if this were the case also for our business then we would be ok, but there is a recent case where our local revenue department is presently crucifying another 10% agent to the point that he will have worked only to pay tax, and will close with massive debts.

If anyone has any advice as to a solution, I will happily marry them.

Thanks

Wonder if he was in the vicinity of Sairee a few months back...

It would make a hell of a warning.

There's no such thing as a 42k room. Most hotels in Haadrin have a minimum stay of 5 nights during full moon and as many as 10 nights during new year. You can order 1 night if you like but you'll still be charged for all 5 or 10 nights.

Didn't expose much.
What about the police dealing dope then arresting the poor <deleted> that bought it, then using a fake lawyer in the police station to scare the crap out of him and squeeze as much cash as possible. Then of course taking the same dope back out there and beginning the process again with the next unlucky kid.

Imagine the look on the police's faces when they realised that the murderer wasn't a penniless migrant worker, but a multi millionaire 'headman's' son. The realisation that they've hit the jackpot. I wonder how much this one cost to cover up, 10 million dollars?

Do you know if the new rules include children under 12 years?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I have a Fortuna & a Tritan. You can't beat the Toyota for build quality but for reasonable quality and value for money, it's the Tritan. Plus it handles well at speed, much less roll.

So I bought myself a nice shiny new fuel can. It's a posh European made thing with measuring marks on the side. First time I went to fill it, I spotted that the litreage on the receipt did't match the marks on the can. Hmm that's strange! So I asked the staff how this could be. Odly she seemed to have expected this question. So she poured the fuel back and refilled the can before my eyes and there again was the missing difference. So either my top quality western fuel can has been designed badly or the Thai petrol stations recalibrate their pumps.

Here's a top tip that isn't generally used. Hotel rates are dependant on world regions. If you claim to be Asian you get one rate, if you're European another. My trick is to be Israeli. Their rates are much lower and a lot of them have 2 passports so there are no questions asked at check in. Good eh :-) I've only ever had success with 2 companies, one in Koh Samui and one in Koh Phangan. I tried using that big one in Bangkok but when I got there they had <deleted> up my booking. No problem with my nationality though, just a useless company. Give it a go but don't over do it, it's my cheap holidays at stake.

antfish, on 23 Jun 2013 - 13:47, said:

How do you call it then if you continue to drag religion into it meanwhile the relevant studies discussed here suggested that it is not linked to religion?

I would also add that in sundry Islamic Countries the populace can be routinely whipped up into a frenzy after Friday prayers resulting in embassies being stormed, U.N compounds attacked and people being murdered. If the Imams who incite such behaviour were to instead state unequivocally that honour killing is forbidden in Islam the results would be dramatic. Instead conservative religious voices fight tooth and nail against any watering down of sharia law. If you pause to think why it's obvious, a woman who marries out is lost to their control, which terrifies them. This is why so many honour killings which take place in the west are down to women either having a non-Muslim partner, or for just behaving 'too western'.

I caught a tv debate recently that touched on your point. An Islamic scholar claimed that western people whip themselves up into a frenzy by viewing too much anti-Islamic propaganda. Seemed like he had no idea about the indoctrination he and his fellow Muslims have received all their lives. I just searched some stats, take a look at this:

Jan 2009 - May 2013, that's just short of a four and a half year period, there were 518 Palestinian deaths caused by Israeli security forces, that's a average of about 116 per year, some combatants and others civilians, no data on the ratio but definitely not good. Now compare that number to deaths during a 2 year period in Syria, UN statistics confirm 92,901, that's on average, 46,450 per year. Ask pretty much anyone, (especially a Muslim), which is the bigger issue, see which one gets them foaming at the mouth. Blinkered insanity.

What are the 'oriental' jews? Jews from Israel?

No.

(those of African or Asian origin)

http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-6712.html

Sorry but no. There was a small sect of Oriental Jews found about 10 years back in China but this has no relation to them. African origin Jews are referred to as African Jews and Asian Origin (apart from the Indians) are referred to as Mizrachim (Easterners). I'd love to know who the Oriental Jews are.

@F430murci

Your post#25. I already highlighted the detail under Sharia law that talks to it being permitable to kill an unfaithful partner (Post#5) so no attempt by me to deny or minimise. I referenced the death rate in the US, as an example, that even though society condemns domestic violence, although from reports different motivations, but infidelity would be one. it is not uncommon for killing of a male/female partner and it is not solely an issue in Muslim societies, that you try to infer; same for Hindus.

You might be interested to note that in Russia, currently 14,000 die from injuries inflicted by husbands or partners a year. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21474931

Sharia law is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with but it isn't a stand alone example as westerners are happy to believe. The only difference is that in Islam it is still enforced. Here's the Judeo/Christian unenforced law (it is still the law) - Deuteronomy 22:21:

"The woman must be taken to the door of her father's home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents' home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you". Love you all, have a nice day, GOD!!! (and Jesus).

actually we have a big problem with honour killings here also: mostly found among beduins, but also among all levels of the arab population and including christian arabs and druze, here, social workers are aware as are lawyers, religious leaders, womens' groups and educators, the pravailing attitude of 'honour' is very very high among the arabic men, and also, surprisingly among north african/eastern jews. (morrocan/yemenite/kafkaz /iraq/syrian jews)

honour killings are tried in a regular state court, and the perpetrators are imprisoned, but are often considered heroes.

there was a very good tv docu made by some european group that interviews women who have had sisters/mothers killed because of honour killings in one israeli arab town.

while it is considered illegal (as murder), there is tacit approval among males that it is neccessary, and while here, u will hear many of the more educated men claiming they are against the killing, the IDEA of FAMILY HONOUR is considered extremely extremely important. and again, not just among the muslem arabs but also among jewish groups such as the kafkaz (caucus), kurdish jews, and other similar groups. obviously, violence among women in these groups is also much higher.

we have a specific problem among our hotel workers in that the women cannot stay at work after a certain hour, cannot work with the men as partners , and we have to arrange 'fun days' during the day and not in the evening so that the women from the villages can participate. among the 'oriental' jews, family honour is also important, but shows itself in more subtle ways nowadays.

we read about such killings almost everyday (usually a little blurb along the lines of : a women from xxxx was murdered by her 17 yrs old brother after they saw her speaking with a strange man in the market' or ' a woman from the village of xxx was murdered after she left her village to study in tel aviv (sin city!)- her uncles found out where she was living, told her her mother was very ill, convinced her to return to her village, where they murderd her.)

lots of these, just all in hebrew.

btw, many of the women in these families condone family honour killings as a 'wayward' woman ruins the chances of good marriages for others in the family.

honour, here , is not seen as a muslem attribute but as a middle easternasian attribute / you can hear many many of the more 'eastern' culture jewish boys making the same remarks about 'my sister's honour', we call it 'kavod hamishpah'...

I've also heard that some of the female suicide bombers, a few years back, were given this way out as an only option. After disgracing themselves they could restore their honour and the families social standing.

Intrepidphil, some of us do read the report. It says this:

According to the researchers, the attitudes are far more likely in adolescent boys with low education backgrounds and it did not appear to be linked to religious beliefs. Instead, the main factors include patriarchal and traditional worldviews, emphasis placed on female 'virtue,' and a more general belief that violence against others is morally justified.

Jordan has a population that includes Druze, Bahai and Christians. The statement that it is not linked to religious beliefs would tend to indicate that other religions were included in the research. It would also indicate that these groups had culturally similar practices.

My question is one that is statistical in nature, since the report has taken religion out of the equation.

I can believe the poll and to some extent the statement that the results are more linked to lack of education and imposition of a patriarcal worldview -

BUT: what formed that patriarcal worldview, if not religious beliefs?

Traditions often develop within a religious group.

As JT said, 92% of Jordan population is Muslim.

I would bet my hat that "patriarcal worldviews" in the region are believed by the people to be strongly associated with religion. An earlier poster mentioned the Sha'ria... I would consider that "tradition".

Separating religion from tradition is a Western thing.

Look what happens in Thailand - all these Buddhists doing so many un-Buddhist things for "good luck", supported by the monks in the temples who even organise the games!

A very good example are the Jews. There are modern Jews, and there are traditionalist Jews. I had some conversations on why the latter would wear those large cake-shaped fur hats and black overalls in the summer, queried them if the Jewish religion required it. They said no, but they chose to follow tradition and tradition is everything to them!

No doubt the next Western claim will be that Sha'Ria has nothing to do with Islam.

I don't think that separating religion from tradition is limited to the west. It's an evolution which has happened quicker in the west but that doesn't mean that it isn't happening elsewhere too. If anything, the report seems to show that education is happening and is the key.

I'm always happy to advise anyone of any religion that maybe they should rethink their life but the fact is that they are entitled to their belief and banging on about "the problem with Islam" isn't going to change a thing. I just don't see Islam as being intrinsically worse than any other religion. The same extreme traditions found in Islam, are written into the Torah and therefore into the Christian religion too. It's modern education that has made them obsolete.

The primary diffence is that within Islam their is no seperation between the State and religious faith. The ongoing issue for Islamic civil society is that Islamic conservative politicians are blocking passing laws to ban the more extreme outcomes such as honour killings, education, emancipation of females, extremist madrassas and so on;, as has happened in places such as Jordon, Pakistan and Afghanistan. You can have as much education as you want, but until the Islamic convervatives are removed from power, their will not be any major differences to the current situation. Also how many decades will it take to transform the culture within tribal structures within many Islamic countries that analyists say is one of the major driving forces for honour killings.

All true but it is the only way ahead. It'll take decades but it will have to happen; so far everything other than the path of education has proved disastrous. Western intervention in those regimes seem to have caused a further rise in militant Islam.

Intrepidphil, some of us do read the report. It says this:

According to the researchers, the attitudes are far more likely in adolescent boys with low education backgrounds and it did not appear to be linked to religious beliefs. Instead, the main factors include patriarchal and traditional worldviews, emphasis placed on female 'virtue,' and a more general belief that violence against others is morally justified.

Jordan has a population that includes Druze, Bahai and Christians. The statement that it is not linked to religious beliefs would tend to indicate that other religions were included in the research. It would also indicate that these groups had culturally similar practices.

My question is one that is statistical in nature, since the report has taken religion out of the equation.

I can believe the poll and to some extent the statement that the results are more linked to lack of education and imposition of a patriarcal worldview -

BUT: what formed that patriarcal worldview, if not religious beliefs?

Traditions often develop within a religious group.

As JT said, 92% of Jordan population is Muslim.

I would bet my hat that "patriarcal worldviews" in the region are believed by the people to be strongly associated with religion. An earlier poster mentioned the Sha'ria... I would consider that "tradition".

Separating religion from tradition is a Western thing.

Look what happens in Thailand - all these Buddhists doing so many un-Buddhist things for "good luck", supported by the monks in the temples who even organise the games!

A very good example are the Jews. There are modern Jews, and there are traditionalist Jews. I had some conversations on why the latter would wear those large cake-shaped fur hats and black overalls in the summer, queried them if the Jewish religion required it. They said no, but they chose to follow tradition and tradition is everything to them!

No doubt the next Western claim will be that Sha'Ria has nothing to do with Islam.

I don't think that separating religion from tradition is limited to the west. It's an evolution which has happened quicker in the west but that doesn't mean that it isn't happening elsewhere too. If anything, the report seems to show that education is happening and is the key.

I'm always happy to advise anyone of any religion that maybe they should rethink their life but the fact is that they are entitled to their belief and banging on about "the problem with Islam" isn't going to change a thing. I just don't see Islam as being intrinsically worse than any other religion. The same extreme traditions found in Islam, are written into the Torah and therefore into the Christian religion too. It's modern education that has made them obsolete.

92 percent of Jordon is Muslim, mostly Sunni. If you are studying a massively predominant Muslim country the CULTURE is obviously linked to the religion whether explicitly, or not. Yes the dominant culture/religion impacts the ENTIRE population in such countries. I speak from personal experience about that.

True but the incidence drops through education not apostasy.

Again, it's not shared by Muslims all over the world. Someone pointed our earlier that in Malasia and Indonesia, instances are low. While in India, a predominantly Hindu nation, they are high. This is more connected to the oppression of women than to religion.

It really seems like none of you read the report.

It clearly says that for the most part they do not believe that this is connected to religion. The cause appears to be that the practice is a cultural tradition and strongly related to poor education.

But what the hell, it's a good opportunity for a rant about Muslims.

Issued with a visa! Yes

I have a question about With Holding Tax. I hope someone knows what to do.

We are an online travel agency and we have structured our tax payments so that we book only our actual income, not the large sums which pass through our hands.

The structure is that:

• The hotel issues us with our net rate plus guidelines for the rack rate.
• We add usually about 10% onto the nett as our commission.
• We agree a price with the client.
• The client transfers the whole sum to us.
• We deduct our commission and forward the nett onto the hotel.
• We book the commission.

Technically we receive our commission from the hotel and we issue a receipt to the hotel for the commission received.

The problem is that we need a WHT form the commission received on each sale. No hotel will do this. Instead they issue a receipt to us in our company name for the nett rate and never ask for a WHT form from us either.

We are both sending each other receipts in opposite directions and nobody is paying WHT.

I’ve offered just to pay the WHT myself into our account but I can’t do this without their WHT form.

So we’re stuck. Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks, Phil

Unfortunately the provisional passport is permanent. I became a national through marriage and revived a passport. After leaving to come to Thailand, they took it back and gave me a provisional until such time that I return and do 5 more years id uninterupted residency. If the immigration won't give me a visa, I'll need to change nationality and all of the business complications that that will involve. No small headache.

Now I'm worried too. Does anyone know if their issuing Non-B's on provisional passports?

Can someone please tell me if this is the Hungarian Peter that does Muay Chaiya boxing. I find it hard to believe that anyone would want to kill that guy.

Can someone please tell me if this is the Hungarian Peter that does Muay Chaiya boxing. I find it hard to believe that anyone would want to kill that guy.