ronnie50

There are still some good releases, but not as many as before. I'm less sure it's about PC or 'woke', and more certain that there's a lack of talent among a newer generation of screenplay writers and producers. I mean how lazy and uninspiring can you get by pumping out one Novel Comics film after another?

I've passed through RCA a couple of times this month during the day - something I hadn't done for years - to use the short cut between Petchburi and Rama 9 roads. While the famous Thai nightclub Route 66 is still at the top of RCA (Rama 9 side), the rest of the strip is (almost) unrecognizable. Nearly every sign, shopfront, restaurant and barfront, is Chinese - only a few places where Thai language can be seen and virtually no English. The RCA sign itself is in tatters (though it had been in bad shape for years). I guess young Thais had been going to other clubs in other areas and this was RCA's way of finding a new crowd? I'm not suggesting these places are all Chinese-owned, just that the targeted clientele has clearly changed. Having said that, Rachada Pisek, quite near there, has a large Chinese community in the many condos and the Chinese Embassy is on that road too. Maybe that's the rationale.

Just an update from my side. First thanks to @DrJack54 and others for SUPER helpful advice. I'm awaiting the outcome of my O visa request. But I still have a question (at bottom) about the difference between the 'bank statement' and 'bank letter' for the retirement extension request. As it turned out, maybe I didn't understand this initially, on the day of applying for the Non-O, I didn't bring a bank statement and had to scramble to get one from an SCB not far from CW. The bank did it within five minutes and I was back with the helpful IO at CW and all was in order after that (I had everything else) all qued to same date. But back to my question above. There is this extra letter from the bank for the extension request is that right? Also do I once again need the bank to provide THREE things on same date: Bank 'letter', bank 'statement' and 'bank deposit of foreign funds' print out again all on same date? Again what is difference between bank statement and bank letter? Txs!

I think the maximum amount if having paid into Class 2 or 3 while abroad, and not missing any years, would be around 200 pounds per week, is that right?

I guess he means 'tax friendly' for expats. TBH, I looked at all three of them before (the government websites and PwC pages on all of them). Philippines still seems possible for tax free, but complicated with many hoops - devil in the detail, Malaysia is not clear whether passive income is taxed (it says flat rate of 30% on foreign residents' income, then it says some income from abroad can be tax free), Cambodia also opaque, mentioning employment is taxable, but is silent on other forms of income for foreigners. Thing is OECD (and the US) is pressuring all countries to adopt a global income taxation on residents in order to close loopholes - and I guess all countries see it in their best interests as it will raise revenues. This is why Portugal and some other formerly 'expat tax friendly' countries are caving in. The three menionted earlier were the last remaining potential places to avoid income tax, but with low confidence of that IMO.

Yeah, there's that.. 😉

Let's just hope that TRD, BOI and Immigration don't start working together to ensure tax on all global income is assessible and paid to Thailand before renewing O visa extensions for retirement, marraige etc. Even in 'advanced economies' as OECD likes to call them, getting different government ministeries and departments to work together is nearly impossible. So there's some hope there.

For those who haven't seen this before, UOB bank (Thailand) has this basic tax calculator. It seems to insist on a monthly 'salary' in the top field, so I just put in 1.00 baht then in the part it asks for other annual income, I entered the amount in baht that I would probably remit once a year. A bit crude, but could be somewhat informative/helpful. It's only a couple of pages long, quite basic and includes your general deductions. and predicts the total amount of tax owing. https://www.uobam.co.th/en/tax-calculation

While many say 'ah don't be so stupid, so paranoid, etc. nothing to worry about' - and while they may have some justification in the way Thailand often says things then doesn't follow though - my own view is the fact we've been sharing so many thoughts and questions, including those who have significant knowledge on taxation in Thailand, concludes to me that we have been doing exactly what we should have been doing all along - preparing. Whether it happens or not, being forewarned is forearmed. If others want to laugh off or snooze through the last year, and this year, up to them.

My own two-bits - I suspect many staying put in Thailand and figuring out a way to minimize remittances, to minimize taxes owed, like remitting from a savings account in your home country with cash that's been there for many years (this is where having years of printed copies of bank statements come in handy if challenged). But if the TRD go for the jugular (taxing total global income regardless of remittances), then I suspect many including me will be looking for another place to decamp like @MartinBangkok Even to my home country that has many perks etc., - why should I give it to Thailand?

In many years of living here, I have never seen the police chase a speeding motorist - or chase any motorist for that matter. When you do see something on the news, it's a chase to catch a killer or a thief. Regarding number of deaths in Bangkok Mahanakon, I was surprised by how busy the streets and supermarket parking lots were over the new year period. My local Big C would be almost empty of cars during 31Ded - 1 Jan. Not this year. The parking lot was 3/4 full (Bangkok plates). My guess is fewer people went up country this year. Economy maybe..

Back to the issue of 'gifting'. The annual amount one can 'gift' their spouse is quite big. I thought, perhaps mistakenly, that would be tax deductable for the sender. (e.g. if I give my Thai wife 40k THB a month for her own individual spending, then that annual 480k THB is a gift and not assessible for tax), is that correct? While I see gifting explained in some of the accounting firms' documents, I don't see anything about it in the UOB Thailand tax calculator, just the standard deductable amount for being married.

Yes I do understand these points. What I'm trying to say is assuming I had a USD 500k savings account slowly accumulating over 30 years (I don't), and I send USD 50k to Thailand in any tax year from that account, how do I judge if I'm sending freshly minted 50k, or 50k that I earned 10 years ago, was already taxed and was sitting in that account? This is largely rhetorical, as I don't think there is any clarity on this. Sure, I could show the bank statements if challenged. That doesn't answer if the money is new or old though... does it?

Thanks, that's what I thought. The whole thing is still nonsense because there's not really any real way to prove or disprove when the money was earned, is that right?

So what does that mean for remittances from money saved before that in a bank account arboad?

Without seeing the actual correct transcript of the TRD DG it's hard to judge. But if the OP interpretation is correct, two things stick out. 1) he only mentioned 'remittances' - and stopped using the words 'global income'; 2) it is still just the reported mumblings of a senior civil servant and not a Government Minister. I'm not even sure if a 'directive' is legally sufficient to make non-immigrant residents pay income tax - that might need an actual legal amendment and published in the Royal Gazette. And it still isn't clear if remittances from long-held foreign bank accounts are taxable at all - anywhere - presumably if they are after-tax savings from many years gone by.

'First six days' - is it ten days in total that they count (27 Dec - 5 Jan)? Last year the figure was more than 500.. only counting those dead at the scene (not those who succumb later in hospitals).

Well, it's big for sure. But then again, at least in Thailand, they hold their political leaders to account and make them declare, publicly, their personal assets. Some don't. Remember the watches, lent from a dead friend? What comes of any of it (taxes, etc.), if anything is another matter. But think about this - the leader of the most powerful, wealthiest nation on earth doesn't have to release any of that information, because he has (snif) 'Liberty, Freedom and Justice' on his side.

Yes, I think that's what is actually required. But it's such a redundant exercise. I mean if one has a one-year Retirement or marriage extension and a one year lease (or longer) with a Thai landlord, and the dates of both beginning and ending of the lease are indicated on the TM30, it shouldn't matter how many times we aren't home. What if I went to Chiang Mai or Issan for a few nights. Supposedly, since I'm not in the rented accommodation, that should be documented too.. Weird system. China-like.

That's good. Were you travelling a lot at that time and were they updating your TM30 at Immigration each time you went out and back in to Thailand? Or just once a year?

If you send via post, do you do the recorded post/tracking? I guess that would be some kind of proof they received it and when..

Right. For those who own their own place, they can easily update the TM30 each time they go out and back (foreign owners of property have TM30s as well, right?). For renters, it's a hassle for the landlords to keep updating the TM30. Seems if you're renting, and your address doesn't change, it shouldn't matter to immigration how many times you come and go - hopefully. Just same TM30.. but I say that with hesitation.

When that occurs, and you are asked to report in person, does the IO expect you to also bring a fresh copy of the TM30 indicating your latest arrival date? That would be a real problem for many landlordds (and anyone who travels frequently in and out), or just the TM47?

I've only read part way throught this thread, so sorry if gets addressed in pages beyond. I guess if you are in control of your TM30 (you own a condo) that's easy enough for you to update. But my landlord doesn't want to update my TM30 each time I leave and return. Instead the landlord has included the 'optional' date of check-out (using a date when the lease expires). It only gets updated when the lease is renewed. I've never been asked for a TM30 upon arrival at airport. Should I have it to hand always when returning, and is it a problem that the landlord doesn't update each time I leave and come back?

My own sense - DTAs aside - is that this will 'primarily' boil down to each country's definition of a 'tax resident'. For example, if you are a UK citizen, but not resident there, the HMRC will not tax your non-UK foreign income (except government pensions at source). The UK seems pretty straightforward on that (this assumes one has no other investments in the UK like rental properties, etc.). Some other countries are a bit more complicated in 'determening' one's residency status. Canada has a non-res compliance form twice as long as your arm, and looks into every corner of a normally non-resident's life to see if it can claw something back - it has terms like 'Deemed Resident' and 'Factual Resident' largely based on any property you might still have there - even a storage locker - and even what relatives you have there, and your relationship with them. Even having a bank account or credit card there - but nothing else - could be a 'determing factor' (though not likely a major one). So the noose is tightening worldwide. I'm sure there are other countries making it harder and harder to claim non-residency for tax purposes.