Geordie59

DNA is the primary link.

The rest is just "news"

Agreed.

But unless some credible agency like those brought in early in the investigation is given access to the Burmese suspects for DNA testing and comparison I don't think anyone can fully trust the outcome here.

I always believed a case was solved after the court case, not before!

Does he know the judge's verdict already?

Why do people get themselves into these situations?

If you can't afford to be here legally you should not be living here. How simple is that......

It was only a matter of time before something like this happened.

The man just confirmed he is really dumb!

All three together - I smell a rat!

Personally I would go to the UK and get fixed. Although technically you would not be entitled to free NHS treatment they would not know that (unless you told them).

As for any feeling of guilt - just look at all the other freeloading foreigners and illegals using the service.

Will they ever see this as anything other than a face saving operation?

Because of the pensions crap, I have been thinking of moving back but not to England, somewhere in Europe. Question. Does anyone know if you would still the tax allowance if you relocated to somewhere else in Europe?

Cheers

jb1

As the proposal stands all non residents would lose their tax allowance. So moving to Spain for example would be like living in Thailand, except a pension may then be index linked instead of frozen depending on where you did relocate to.

We are encouraged to save for our old age, then if we die ahead of expectation we are taxed on what is left over.Most people as they get older live their lives and work for the benefit of their children to a great extent. That being the case why should they have to pay inheritance tax if they happen to die younger than expected.

If countries could get corporations to pay similar levels of tax as individuals do we could all get a 50% cut in taxation rates and governments would still have loads to squander on themselves and their follies.

Once again, folks that die early don't pay inheritance tax. They're dead.

The folks that receive money solely as a result of the accident of their birth pay the tax. I'm for a level of tax free inheritance- enough to set the kids up for life. But not tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. That's how you end up with the jet set brats who are generations removed from the money they're spending on cocaine, and private jets for their international debauchery.

I'm ambivalent about increasing the corporate tax rate. It would just take money away from stockholders, who would then have to pay less tax. (I'm all for adjusting the tax breaks to favor job creation in the home country- and not shipping them overseas.)

I'm more in favor of taxing capital gains as normal income. Then corporate profits which pass on to stockholders are taxed at the same rate as us working stiffs pay on what we bring home that year. And doing away with tax breaks for things that bring absolutely no real value to society.

Obviously if you are dead you do not pay inheritance tax. But when you have worked hard in the hope of leaving something for your kids and paid 45% tax on your earnings, for them to pay another 40% on that same money seems very harsh and unfair.

I do not suggest increasing corporate tax. But there is a problem with the collection of it, just as there will be with collecting inheritance tax from wealthy Thais. For example, the average shop keeper has to pay tax on all of their income after allowances. Internet based companies like Amazon and EBay pay a token small fraction of 1% on their earning by using loopholes like registering in places like Ireland despite selling their goods in the UK and taking market share from those same small shop keepers. Others like Starbucks also register overseas and pay tax there to maximize already large profits.

In the UK inheritance tax has been around for ever. I have never been able to work out why, if you have paid all due taxes while accumulating your wealth, you should then have to pay another 40% tax on your assets when you die.

You may have worked and paid taxes your entire life. Your kids haven't.

You don't have to pay inheritance tax. Your kids do.

Inheritance taxes bring us just a tiny little closer to the concept that "All men are created equal".

My opinion (not that it matters)- once you've left your kids all the money they will reasonably need in their lifetime, anything above that should be redistributed to the public good. Maybe if that were the case, we wouldn't see dynasties hoarding billions of dollars for generation after generation, while other families' kids are born into abject poverty and hunger- into a world of shrinking opportunities and horrible income and wealth disparity.

How the politicians spend it is a big issue, but a different issue.

We are encouraged to save for our old age, then if we die ahead of expectation we are taxed on what is left over.

Most people as they get older live their lives and work for the benefit of their children to a great extent. That being the case why should they have to pay inheritance tax if they happen to die younger than expected.

If countries could get corporations to pay similar levels of tax as individuals do we could all get a 50% cut in taxation rates and governments would still have loads to squander on themselves and their follies.

In the UK inheritance tax has been around for ever. I have never been able to work out why, if you have paid all due taxes while accumulating your wealth, you should then have to pay another 40% tax on your assets when you die.

The tax will mostly uncollectable in Thailand.

It would be far better to get the rich to pay while they are still alive and close the loopholes and under the table deals that are done annually when tax declaration time comes around.

In the UK inheritance tax has been around for ever. I have never been able to work out why, if you have paid all due taxes while accumulating your wealth, you should then have to pay another 40% tax on your assets when you die.

The tax will mostly uncollectable in Thailand.

It would be far better to get the rich to pay while they are still alive and close the loopholes and under the table deals that are done annually when tax declaration time comes around.

I suspect they know already exactly who the guilty party is. Just look a few miles South to Koh Samui and you will see a long history of children or the rich and powerful getting away with murder.

They may be wealthy now due to tourism but originally many were smugglers and pirates picking on any passing boats - just ask the old Vietnamese refugees of the 1980s and 90s, that is the ones who survived and made it to at least Malaysia.

Interestingly my sources in England told me there was almost no interest in the referendum until few weeks ago when the YES voters caught up in the polls. I noticed the same reaction in Pattaya as well.

And when is the English vote to decide if Scotland should leave?

A union has 2 or more parts and all parts should be involved in the decision process equally.

Do you mean that if a wife (or husband) wants a divorce the other spouse has to approve first?

Or that the one with by far the most people should be able out vote the smaller nations based on population alone? Not much in that Union for anyone other than the English do what they want and to hell with the rest.

My guess is that all parties were at fault here, the 2 Thai guys will get a slap on the wrist then some other news will take over and all will be forgotten.

I just hope the Scottish guy had the sense to dump the girlfriend. If not I can have no sympathy for him.

If we don't get a rapid but dubious guilty verdict here I will be surprised.

Disgusting that some are concerned with the effect this will have on tourism with no thoughts for the murdered!

Another celeb gets away with murder. Just how many times do you have to shoot through a door to intend to kill the person behind the door? Obviously more than 4.

How do we know it is fake from the picture?

Find him and lock him up. Clowns like this cause so many of us massive inconvenience by trying to be smart <deleted>.

Contribution to some benevolent fund required????

I do want the license but will not be back in the UK to renew my international permit for several months, not that it was any use last time I was stopped.

As the foreign police volunteer was on his own I do not see how he was helping the Thai policemen who were about 40m further up the street with translations.

It is a sad thing really that a country who earns so much from tourism should pick on the tourists in this way. I think I get angry about this particular case as I got stopped a while back with an international drivers licence from the UK. and also a Philippine licence both of which are legal here but still had the inconvenience of going to the police station and cost of a fine which I paid as I did not fancy the alternative process of trying proving myself correct.

I would also have had a Thailand licence if it were possible to get one with the visa I was on.

And to think people with a Thailand licence can drive legally for 1 year in the UK on the licence.

If the police would stop taking so much of their time picking out foreigners for easy pickings and try enforcing the laws against dangerous driving we might see a reduction in these cases.

I even saw a German police volunteer pulling over farangs the other day. Does that come under his job description?

Firstly, the German Traffic Police volunteer is probably specifically used for just that purpose of checking helmets and iicences of foreigners who most Thai policemen cannot readily converse with. Secondly, you only have to see the queues at police station fine desks to realise that foreigners who were legitimately fined for not wearing helmets or not having valid passports are far out numbered by Thais paying fines. Try breaking such laws in your own country and see how much more severe the penalties are there .....