sandyf

14 hours ago, Nayet said:

 

Sorry, I'm not very good at reading. My income, for the most part, is above 40k per month, but it varies. I wonder if that will pose a problem?

If you are from  a country that can get a letter, you only need to meet the annual requirement.

If it comes to transfers that may depend on which office you would use. The requirement is that you transfer at least 40K a month over the 12 month period. I only ever transferred just over the 40K, with additional transfers if necessary.

Some offices like mine also wanted to see where the funds came from but I have seen posts from some saying that only a statement showing the deposits was required.

Maybe worth checking with someone using the same office.

16 hours ago, realfunster said:

Anyway, my point remains, go and walk around the Bangkok slums or pretty much anywhere outside of Bangkok and come back and tell me it's a good use of Thai taxpayers' money.

Your point highlights how those from so called advanced economies are deluded into thinking they make better use of tax payers money than Thailand.

Your way of thinking should mean free healthcare and zero poverty in the US, but then comes reality.

14 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

So Thailand has a space program?

Since 1971, but nobody is interested until the topic arises, then the stupid and racist comments flow in abundance.

22 hours ago, sambum said:

 

"Imported" "forcing them on the Australian colony" 

 

Same, same but different!

Confirming previous comment on context.

23 hours ago, sambum said:

 

"Foreigners in Thailand want as much as they can get for as little as possible,..."

Total bullpoo - Foreigners,especially tourists, want to pay a fair price for any services or amenities, but they don't expect to be charged 4 or 5 times the amount that Thais pay - especially for "Tourist Attractions"! 

 

"They have no say..." Correct, but they can have an opinion!

 

"...and the Government has no interest". So why the constant emphasis on Tourism by the Government if they have "no interest"? Visa free entries which appears to be letting anybody and his dog into the country including Chinese Mafia types, and Russian draft dodgers, all in the interests of making BAHT for the country/Government. 

Good distraction, obviously context is not a strong point.

2 hours ago, wavodavo said:

Thats exactly why you check each chit in the cup so if something is not correct you can sort it out before you check bin.

Quite. Twenty odd years ago I was talking toa guy in a bar and he called check bin, I said you off somewhere, he said no just pay regularly to reduce the risk.

It used to be quite common for someone to be seeing a girl working the bar and she would slip some chits into other bins. Prime targets were those in a group or the intoxicated.

Back in those days there were no forums making out it was unusual and only Thais being the perpetrators.

5 hours ago, gargamon said:

Nope. The only answer is that they were charging lady drink prices for his companion who was not an employee of the bar.

"only answer"

You need to get out a bit more.

17 minutes ago, sambum said:

And a similar scenario in Australia, except they imported boat loads of criminals to colonise the place. 

Yes and No, the criminals weren't imported, at that time the UK couldn't see much use for the country other than a place of incarceration, forcing them on the Australian colony.

Following WW2 an independent Australian government looked to increase the population through an assisted passage arrangement.

15 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

and if the leaders of Europe in 1500 had decided that traveling to the New World (and later Australia) was a bad idea?

It obviously was, or the countries concerned wouldn't have felt the need to claim independence.

Before 1914, the UK exercised authority over one fifth of the world's entire population with the British Empire made up of 88 million subjects. In 1939, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand were the first to be given independence within the Commonwealth. Since then a total of 62 countries have gained independence from the United Kingdom. This is followed by France with 28, Spain with 17, The Soviet Union with 16, Portugal with 7 and the USA with 5.

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-countries-to-have-gained-independence-from-the-same-country#:~:text=In 1939%2C Canada%2C South Africa,and the USA with 5.

3 hours ago, realfunster said:

Rather than standing on the shoulders of giants and messing around with vanity projects such as space exploration and submarines, below is a list of what I would describe as much higher priority spending issues for “the wellbeing of Thai people”.

Foreigners in Thailand want as much as they can get for as little as possible, they have no say and the government has no interest. 

The Thai space program started in 1971, remind us what was your "giant" focused on at that time, certainly not the well being of its own population, or any other.

People ought to remember the old adage on "sin" and "stones".

2 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

I bet this is the reason behind China wanting to pal up with Thailand. 

Don't be surprised if China gets to use this slot.

The Thai satellites are being used for data collection, not broadcasting. Of course many on here would prefer to ridicule the well being of the Thai population.

The Minister of MHESI also added.“THEOS-2 is an advanced space infrastructure which is essential for the country. The data collected by THEOS-2 will be utilized to ensure that geospatial information across all regions of Thailand remains current, up-to-date, and accurate. This data will aid in the efficient management of disasters and emergency situations. THEOS-2 will also increase our capacity in natural disaster management, water management, agricultural management, urban planning and natural resources management, which underscores the necessity of science and technology in national development and the improvement of the well-being of our people.”

https://www.mfa.go.th/en/content/pr-theos2-10092023-2?cate=5d5bcb4e15e39c306000683e

3 hours ago, Nickcage49 said:

Thailand going to space. There's so much comedy there. They need a space program like they need subs and warplanes.

The real comedy is how out of touch the bar fly foreigners are, reality not being a strong point.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geo-Informatics_and_Space_Technology_Development_Agency

16 minutes ago, jimn said:

Well you need to find a new bar now that Trendy is no longer used for UK visa applications.

Indeed, it closed down 3 days after we went, will be looking for a heads upon the new place.

Hope it's not like the one at Samyan for some EU countries, went there on Thursday, awful place, won't be going there again. Didn't see any watering holes in the vicinity.

11 hours ago, Caldera said:

 

What would be the point, considering where you are? In a way, they've adapted better to how things are done in Thailand than those who deny those underpaid officials their tea money. 

Obviously with deeper pockets, but unable or unwilling to fund a legal presence, they will be the ones adapting better to the new interpretation on the tax law.

It would appear that In 25 years I have been unable to adapt in the proper manner. 

19 hours ago, parafareno said:

i mean 15000 bht per yer is nothing...i can afford that instead of having 800k in the bank

"Instead"?

What you are suggesting is illegal so not without risk.

To use an agent legally you are still required to have the 800k in the bank, or use the income method.

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

the plan has drawn criticism from experts who argue that it exhibits fiscal irresponsibility. They contend that economic recovery cannot be achieved solely through handouts but requires addressing the structural issues plaguing the economy.

Yet the UK government claim  that economic recovery is on course due to the handouts in recent years. Who is the greater expert and is the UK free from structural issues that need to be addressed. The condition of much of the infrastructure would suggest otherwise.

Thailand and the UK have similar size of population, UK national debt is currently 100% of GDP, Thailand national debt is 55% of GDP, well below the average for SE Asia.

At the end of the day all political initiatives attract critisism and the only thing that counts is international opinion on the currency, you only have to look at what happened following the Liz Truss initiative.

When I go to the Trendy building I usually call into the Red Lion while wife in VFS, pleasant atmosphere with newspapers available. Beer reasonably priced during the day with half litre draught Tiger at 89 baht, a bit pricy at night.

Never tried the breakfast, but looked reasonable with good full English at 195 baht, or you can create your own. Not come across many places offering black/white pudding or sauteed potatoes.

4 hours ago, KannikaP said:

If mine were like yours, I would not have asked the question.

In asking the question you implied that the format of your photos was standard, it isn't.

14 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Why do the photos on these ID cards and Driving Licences show most of the shirt you are wearing as opposed to just head and shoulders.

The photos are not the same. My DL photo is very much like a passport photo with the head taking up most of the photo.

The ID card however is quite different with height markers from the shoulders up.

My wife's has very little shoulders showing with white space and marker above the head, on mine the top of the head is close to top of the photo.

14 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Think I"ll stick with the yellow book....if I end up doing anything.

The number from the tabian baan is used on the ID card. By default pink cards are for foreigners so you need a foreigner tabian baan number, the first digit would be a 6.

The Thai ID card is done according to a law related to the Thai ID Card adopted in Buddhist year 2526.

The first digit of the Thai ID Card has the following meaning:

Number 1- means a Thai national born from January 1, 1984 onwards whose parents registered their birth within 15 days

Number 2- means a Thai national, born from January 1, 1984 onwards whose parents registered their birth late

Number 3- means a Thai national and aliens with identification cards whose names appeared in the census before May 31, 1984

Number 4- means the same group of people (as #3) who previously didn’t have an ID number

Number 5- means a Thai nationals whose names was added to the census later due to error

Number 6- is used for those who entered the country unlawfully or those who entered lawfully with intent to stay in the country on temporary basis. So if you have a yellow ta bian ban, you probably have a Thai ID number starting with 6.

Number 7- is for children of number 6

Number 8- is for formers aliens whose original nationality was converted to Thai after May 1, 1984 (And permanent residents to what I know).

https://isaanlawyers.com/pink-id-card-for-foreigners-in-thailand/

2 hours ago, smedly said:

how about getting tough on everyone who breaks the law

 

this idiot can't seem to grasp that foreigners are what this country needs - now more so that ever

 

sack this belligerent # before he does more damage

 

I honestly can't figure out how they don't realise that like it or not, we (filthy foreigners) make up 30% of GDP, might be a bit less recently, what is wrong with this idiot, is he so rich he doesn't give a #, well that is probaby 100% correct 

That age old perception of self importance, probably a left over from the colonial days.

Covid brought home to many countries the risks associated with a dependence on tourism. Thailand like many other countries is now trying to increase GDP revenue in other areas to reduce that reliance on foreigners.

After all they don't need the problems they cause, certainly not "now more so that ever".

12 hours ago, khunjeff said:

 

AOT is a for-profit public company, and posted a net profit of 8.8 billion baht in fiscal year 2023.

Like every other country, the airport operator manages the rates on behalf of the appropriate Government Ministry. The PSC is a ring fenced tax while others can end up in general taxation.

   * The above rates are the actual rates charged by each airport under the 2017 announcement of the Ministry of Transport on Departure Passenger Service Charges at Licensed Airports that provide services to the public.

https://www.thailand.go.th/issue-focus-detail/002_021

10 hours ago, suspectdevice said:

APD is paid by the customer at ALL uk airports. It's another sneaky uk tax. The further the airport is from Heathrow the higher the APD cost. 

APD is a fixed rate dependent on destination, distance and class of travel, the more seat spacing you have the more you pay. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-allowances-for-air-passenger-duty

Heathrow is/was the most expensive airport in UK and one of the most expensive in the world. The regulator had to step in and force a cut in taxes.

"Luis Gallego, chief executive of British Airways' parent company IAG, said: “Heathrow already charges three times more per passenger than other major airports in Europe including Gatwick and Madrid, and five times more than Dublin."

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2023/03/08/uk-regulator-tells-heathrow-to-cut-fees-in-win-for-airlines/

A few years back I switched from BA to Emirates to go into Gatwick, significantly cheaper.

2 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

It is all about money in Thailand and dowry is a part of it....It gives the people a feeling how important they are

Only a certain mentality would generalise like that.

Circumstances vary but in a traditional Thai wedding the sinsod is part of the ceremony. In this area it would highly unusual for the parents not to return the sinsod to the bride and groom.

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Doesn't seem much of an increase per head, but it soon adds up to a tidy profit for the airports.

PSC is a ring fenced tax for airport improvements and around the world local legislation is in place to prevent abuse.

Heathrow is about the only airport in the world that sets out to make a profit, they do that through a separate tax called APD, about 4000 THB, that goes into general taxation.