superal

Also seat belts hardy reach around my waist and I am not fat , 70 kg . Catering for the smaller Asian maybe ?

It always seems to rain nearby but seldom in Prasat Surin . Another TMD forecast shows that May 6th the temperature falls to 34-36c so another 2 or 3 weeks to endure . I am going to have a heavy electric bill this month with having the aircon on most of the day and night .

How strange . You are right as I just had another look on this link https://tmd-dev.azurewebsites.net/en/weather/province/surin . That link is where I copied my chart from 3 hours ago but now it says 40c for Sunday . Wonder if they made a typo before ?

If its a Thai government hospital , good luck with an 8 am appointment . I had the same last week . Was given an appointment at 8 am for a CBC . No food for 12 hours . My last meal was at 5 pm the previous day . Hospital waiting room was packed . I finally saw the doctor at 11 am . With him less than 1 minute and he gave me a paper request to take to the blood test room . Got home at mid-day . In all 19 hours without food . Hematology room was empty and I was tested within 2 minutes . Government hospital systems need updating . So waited 3 hours in an unhealthy waiting room . I asked the Thai nurses why I had to wait and they said , when your ticket number is called you can see the doctor . Told them have an appointment for a blood test but they did not give a xxxx. Pure water has always been OK before any blood test . As Sheryl said , some blood tests do allow food to be eaten but alcohol is best avoided .

TMD has forecast 44 c for this coming Sunday . Recent 40 c was bad enough but 44 c in the shade . The temperature out of the shade must be 50 c . Most of us have air conditioned rooms but many local Thai , up here in Isaan , have at best a fan . That heat will result in casualties , I am sure . For me it is Aircon at 10 00 am throughout the day . Maybe leaving Thailand for a couple of months is the answer ?

What a sad experience . Heartless , xxxhole bank manager .

So true . Yesterday after leaving a hospital I had to wait 5 minutes to cross a busy road . All clear when I started to walk but then 2 motor bike came from nowhere at speed and passed me on both sides of me whilst I am on the crossing . This is an almost unlawful country . I have yet to see a decent pavement with unbroken slabs , steep access or wheelchair friendly . Op has my full sympathy .

I sympathise with you . Constipation is joked about by some but it is indeed a nasty event when you are unable to pass a stool . Had it a few times . Can be caused by your diet or some medications . If you can introduce fresh fruits such as water melon , mango or papaya . Eat salads with extra virgin olive oil or even drink 2 tablespoons of evoo . Also a drink of milk of magnesia will clear you out . Do you suffer from indigestion ?

Because he never mentioned it but I can ask him the question next Sunday when I will see him again and I will let you know .

To you and Mike , don't shoot the messenger . Just saying what I was told and I hope that Mike is correct .

I was told the following today by a European guy whose wife is a Thai accountant . Foreigners will be asked for their proof of income for long stays in Thailand when applying for their yearly visa . Along with their tax return . No conformity could mean visa refusal . This lady accountant is now helping many farangs with their tax liabilities and in some cases has reduced their tax burden by over 50% . This is not a promotion for her business as she is now very busy already . I would assume that tax returns submitted by a Thai accountant would carry credence ?

Can you recommend a cooler ?

So Thailand relents and will allow gambling for some . No doubt the elite Thais will be admitted but the guy in the street , no chance . It will be interesting to see the extent of gambling games allowed . E.G. will the casinos facilitate gambling on horse racing and sport games such as football ? Is this the first foot in the door ? The Thai authorities will be well aware of the huge profits made by the betting industries . Walk in betting shops on every UK high street as well as online . Maybe conjecture but it could go the same way as prostitution , evident to all but denied by the authorities because good brown envelopes .

Please explain how to detect fake bank notes .

They were once a good reliable company but now ?

Agree and Samsung , well ? Friend bought a Samsung TV 4 years ago and it developed a vertical line center screen , after 13 months . Warranty for 1 year only . Not repairable so it was scrapped . Found out the model was only sold in Thailand . So possibly inferior build . Me , Samsung 16000 btu inverter air conditioner 6 years old . The circuit control board kaput . Cannot repair . New board 5-6000 baht . Scrapped it and bought a new Aircon . I have read that Samsungs inverter control boards are not the best . I now avoid all Samsung products

Thanks for the above info . Will you be the writer of the Tax Guide ? Will it have endorsements from the Thai Revenue Department ?

Thanks for your input Mike . Myself and UK friends were unaware of this new Thai tax law and so I posted it for some enlightenment . So as a summary , the new tax laws are written but yet to be shown in the Royal Gazette . As far as I know , there has been no announcement from the British Embassy . ( but I do not want to rock the boat ) . That leaves us in a state of limbo where we just have to sit back and wait . Unless you know different ?

Wrong , it started this year , also I was not in Thailand last September . If you have had enough of the topic don't read it . Go and be pedantic elsewhere .

Thanks for the link . However I must pick you up when you say " small percentage are interested in this . Fact , between 3 & 4 million expats live in Thailand I.e. 5-6 % of the population . I accept that this number will not just be from the western world . Maybe more important is the fact that many expats living in Thailand have only their State pensions . It means a frugal life style and any chunk of tax paid to the Thai inland revenue may have a significant effect . Also bearing in mind that any tax is payable in a lump sum and not deducted on a weekly / monthly basis . It may also involve the hiring of an accredited Thai accountant which is another fee . It is for the above reasons that I am surprised that this event is not more prominent .

In the UK the CEO is implicated in the event of an accident at work . For that reason h&s compliance is paramount as failure to comply could mean prison and a hefty fine . Some might say that in the UK h&s rules are OTT and an encumbrance on working progress . In the UK there are often qualified h&s officers on site making sure everyone is working safely and compliant with a work permit for the daily task and wearing the correct PPE . In the event of an accident at work there will be an investigation by the government HSE and that is serious stuff and an accident may be seen as a criminal act with jail and heavy fines for the C.E.O. For that reason , workplace h&s in Thailand will not change . However if say an American construction company are working in Thailand that may make a difference .

How about this . The Thai government will have access to all foreigners residence who are on retirement / marriage etc visas . so it would not be hard to trace them or their finances , using the D.T.A. No one will come knocking on your door this year but your tax accounts tax have to be submitted by March next year, if indeed this nightmare comes to being . If this tax happens , I have no doubts that there will be expats leaving Thailand for other Asia countries . What I do not understand is how it has been kept so quiet because I have not heard it discussed before in my circle of social life . Just wish that there was some member of the Thai government Tax department who could give a formal statement .

Thanks . This time I opened your link and after a read I found the extract below . So the assumption is that UK State pensions are not exempt from Thai tax . A Thai tax credit will be issued on proof of UK tax paid and offset against income . Or at least that is my interpretation . Do you agree ? PENSIONS 32) Another common type of income is pensions, which may not be straight forward, depending on the type of pension and the country that it comes from. The country of origin is important because there are over 60 different types of Dual Tax Agreements, sometimes called Double Taxation Agreements (DTA’s), between Thailand and those 60+ countries and each DTA is different. As a general rule, most private or company pension, from most countries, appear to be assessable here but YOU will need to confirm that yours is, or is not. As said previously, any tax that has been paid on those pensions in the home country, can be used to offset any tax that is due under Thai RD rules, if the Thai rates of tax are higher and if any tax is due. From another source Details about the double tax convention signed by Thailand The main provisions of a double taxation agreement are related to the avoidance of paying the income taxes twice, in Thailand and in the other contracted state. It is good to know that Thailand signed important double taxation conventions with 59 countries and here we mention the following: Philippines, New Zealand, Pakistan, Romania, Singapore, Armenia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Denmark, India, Estonia, Israel, Finland, Italy, Czech Republic, China, Australia, Chile, Ireland, Canada, Kuwait, Myanmar, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Bangladesh, US, Spain, Slovenia, Poland, Switzerland, South Africa, Mauritius, Ukraine, Laos, Indonesia, the UAE, Luxembourg, Nepal, France, Bulgaria, Germany, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK, Hungary, Vietnam, Turkey, Oman, Uzbekistan, Seychelles, Japan, Belgium, Austria, Hong Kong S.A.R., Sri Lanka, Tajikistan. UK PENSIONS UK Pensions fall into two categories: a) Public Sector (Government): includes Civil Service, Armed Forces and some NHS b) Private Sector: includes UK State Pension, Company Pensions and private pensions 33) The UK/Thai DTA specifically mentions Government Pensions, which can only be taxed in the UK. Private Sector pensions are not mentioned in the DTA and are capable of being taxed in Thailand, unless they have been taxed in the UK, in which case a credit is issued against tax payable in Thailand. TAX RESIDENCY 21) If you stay in Thailand for more than a cumulative 179 days, between 1 January and 31 December each year, you will be and always were considered to be Tax Resident in Thailand during that year, almost entirely regardless of the type of visa you have (special tax exempt classes of visa excluded). It doesn’t matter that you may be Tax Resident in your home country or elsewhere or that you pay tax in those countries, Thailand will still regard you as Tax Resident. Tax Residency and Immigration status (and the visa you hold) are different things. Tax residency is based solely on the number of days you spend in Thailand. A day appears to be counted using the entry and exit stamps in your passport, unlike many other countries where it is determined by where you are at midnight. The number of days counter reverts to zero, on 1 January each year. So for some expats in Thailand 179 days from Jan 1st 2024 , there after they will be subject to Thai tax laws

Thanks and I hope you are right . However after searching on Google I cannot find any statement to back you up , only info shows similar to mine . Has there been an amendment which eliminates tax on pensions ? Starting January 1st 2024 and counting 180 days residency , after which the new rules kick in

Can anyone enlighten or confirm that the new income tax rules affect long term residents in Thailand . Extracts below . Released on September 15, 2023, Revenue Order 161/2023 dictates that starting from January 1, 2024, any foreign income, regardless of its source (be it from employment, business, pension, or overseas assets), will be subject to taxation in Thailand upon its entry into the country, regardless of the year in which it was initially brought in. The Common Reporting Standard (CRS): Alongside the recent revenue order, Thailand has formally embraced and implemented the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) in 2023. The CRS serves as a global financial information and reporting standard designed for the automatic exchange of tax and financial data on an international scale. Under the CRS, every bank, financial institution, and about 114 other countries are now legally obliged to report all information pertaining to accounts held by Thai tax residents in the reporting countries to the Thai Revenue Department. What is the CRS? In essence, the CRS functions as a global financial reporting system, enabling countries to share financial data about each other’s residents. Developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the CRS facilitates the automatic exchange of financial account information between tax authorities worldwide, aiming to combat tax evasion. The information shared through the CRS by most offshore or local banks for expats (if located in a CRS reporting country) and financial institutions includes comprehensive account details, and balances, as well as specifics of all deposited income, encompassing interest, dividends, and sales proceeds from financial assets. What Information is Shared? The CRS mandates financial institutions to gather and disclose specific details, including account balances, interest, dividends, and other income derived from financial assets. Therefore, if you maintain a bank account or investments either domestically or internationally in a CRS reporting country, your bank and financial institutions are obligated, under the CSR, to convey to the Thai Revenue Department comprehensive information about your accounts. This includes all pertinent details such as your name, address, and account numbers, along with a breakdown of all balances and particulars of all deposited income. This encompasses various sources of income such as salaries, pensions, interest, dividends, and proceeds from the sale of assets, each categorized and classified according to the different income types recognized by your bank.