4MyEgo

It will last for as long as it lasts, until then, I will just keep enjoying my "long overseas holiday" with the tax loop hole, won't I. I mean, if I had to pay tax for money I remit here, it's miniscule, and I don't bother about trivial matters, I leave that to you LOL

Statistics are statistics, naturally you have to discount some of it, and of course there will always be ways to sell smokes illegally, as for believing ABC News or other mainstream news outlets, I'll pass thanks.

Fewer people smoke, including me who gave up in 2000, when smokes were $10 a pack, now $55. There has been a long-term downward trend in tobacco smoking in Australia. The National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) found: The proportion of people aged 14 and over smoking daily more than halved from 24% in 1991 to 8.3% in 2022–2023 (AIHW 2024d, Table 2.1). The proportion of people aged 14 and over who have never smoked has increased to the highest levels since the survey began (from 49% in 1991 to 65% in 2022–2023) (AIHW 2024d, Table 2.1; Figure TOBACCO 1). The long-term decline in daily smoking has largely been driven by people never taking up smoking, though the proportion of people quitting smoking has also risen over time (AIHW 2024d, Table 2.1, Greenhalgh et al. 2025, Figure TOBACCO 1). https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/alcohol/alcohol-tobacco-other-drugs-australia/contents/drug-types/tobacco-and-e-cigarettes

Best I can explain this, is that we have a dwelling on a parcel of land which is now Chanote Title, it was previously one Title under Chanote Title, and was owned by my wife's Grandmother, who recently passed at a ripe old age of 90. The land from my understanding was transferred to the my wife's Auntie (daughter of Granny) after Granny's passing, with no duty/taxes payable as she was the daughter of the land owner, i.e. free transfer, but for maybe some baht for registration of the land in her name ? It is a huge piece of land of about 8 Rai and she recently asked us if we wanted to by some (family rates of course) as she doesn't want outside neighbors (noise, etc). The question I have is, do we have to pay duty/taxes etc on the whole value of the 8 Rai of land, even though we would only be buying a slice of it with our house already on it + the land next to our house which is about 1,000 square metres that we would be buying, in all about 2,000 square metres, that's 1,000 of the land we have and a 1,000 square metres we would be buying, giving us a total of 2,000 square metres, as mentioned above. The wife, who I don't doubt, says, we have to pay duty/taxes on the whole 8 Rai, then some registration fees on the land our house sits on, including the land we are looking at buying next door to us as a whole 2,000 square metres, e.g. she says it's best not to subdivide the two lots, e.g. the 1,000 square metres that we are looking to buy on it's own, as we will have to pay again on the 8 Rai, but if we do it as a whole (2,000 square metres), it's free in the future to subdivide and transfer the additional land (1,000 square metres) that we are looking to buy to the kids, and all they would have to pay would be the registration fee, e.g. (free transfer to kids). If on the other hand we decided to sell the 1,000 square metres in years to come, we would have to subdivide that land, (1,000 square metres), and we would have to pay duty/taxes on the 2,000 square metres and not the 8 Rai, if I understood her correctly ? Anyone have any experience on this, and my wife is not pushing for us to buy it, either way, we don't care, but I'm with the Auntie about noisy neighbors who might move in between the two of us vs Mr Farang helping out the Auntie if the price is right, and leaving it there for the kids in the future, I mean we are only talking around 300k-500k baht which is affordable and worth not being disturbed of the unknowns that might move in, in the future, and as there is no zoning restrictions, I wouldn't want a panel beating/mechanic/restaurant setting up here as we enjoy our privacy and peace and quite.

Nothings changed then, free entertainment. Has anyone told them their is plenty of room (territory) to go around, but bitche$ be like ....

Sounds like they're rounding up the sheep for future tracking.

Longer wait times at hospitals, hmm, have you tried private hospitals, my experience is between 5-10 minutes to see a Doctor, that said, you have to pay, beats sitting at a public hospital for hours to see a junior Doctor who in my opinion, has no idea. Just from my experience, that and most Doctors in private hospitals are trained overseas when seeing a specialist. Fork out, put up, or go back to where you came from, maybe it's better there and that's why your here ? Increased crime rate, where ? Crimes are and have been around for centuries, that said, I feel safer here than back in my home country because the laws there when sentencing are pi$$ weak. I take it you speak Thai fluently and have Citizenship ? If your not happy sharing Thailand, which is not your country, then go back to where you came from. You must be a blast to hang with, poor Pun LoL

Has the person who does the inspection of the building at stages, e.g. foundations, etc etc etc been hauled in to please explain ? I'm thinking a big brown envelope to turn a blind eye was forth coming.

I don't live my life worrying about Tax Regulations in the LOS or Article 19 of the DTA as it doesn't effect me.

You think to much and your math escapes you, read the post again, I said I came here when I was in my mid 40's, returned a few years later, now a few years can be a few or many in my opinion, but for the record, 9 years, so mid 40's (46) to be exact + 9 = 55, left school in year 10 @ 16, so according to my math, that's as close to 40 years working as you'll get. Government job for 10 years with loads of O/T, i.e. 13 days a fortnight worked, was allowed to take super out in full back then, through that into a property (investment). Later changing jobs, further studying 3 nights a week, 2 courses, 6 years, meant increased salaries as I climbed the ladder. Some cash, investments along the way, no point in letting your $ get eaten by inflation along the way. Divorce was a 50/50 split with one child, child support minimal due to shared care arrangements, no set backs, actually encouraged me to go harder. I wouldn't qualify for the age pension, nor would I wish to return for the chump change they would pay me, I mean what is it, 40,000 baht a month, I require double that to live a decent lifestyle here, nothing over the top and no debts of course, so I rely on my tax free investments to provide me with more than that, regardless of the current global economic climate challengers. Returning to Oz to get the age pension, means you need to fork out double what you would receive in those 2 years, e.g. you spend 4 years of age pension money to survive for those two years in Oz, and that would be doing it tight, so by the time you break even your 71, so how many more years are you going to live for, sure we all like to think forever, but the 2 years wasted in that very expensive country isn't worth the grief, unless you need the $'s. I mean your age pension would be used to pay all of your rent and some depending on whether you want to live in a garage conversion at the back of someone's house or rent a room, (Sydney). As mentioned, I retired at 55 comfortably, like I said from working my ringer off for 40 years and making the right investments, still do, only the have been tax free for the last decade being a non resident for tax purposes. I could have stayed earning 6 figures + as my m8's do, but what an existence, one leaves home at 8am and returns at 8pm 6 days a week, to pay $1,000 a week on the 2 bedroom 2 bathroom unit he rents with his girlfriend, then you have the cost of living on top of that, whereas you say move to a cheaper country and live your life off of your investments, with a cheap girl....LoL. Going back for the age pension is for the unfortunate ones who didn't work hard enough, didn't invest, plan, or lost it all in a divorce or through bad investments. I am happy to donate my old age pension to someone more needy than me thanks.

I take it you didn't see the video where he kicked her in the back ?

Interesting, I just renewed my Passport online, they didn't require my old Passport, it was a one page form, pretty straight forward and I had my new Passport delivered to my address within 7 days. Several countries allow online passport renewal, including Ireland, Singapore, New Zealand, Finland, and the United Kingdom. The UK also offers a simplified online renewal process through services like My British Passport. Australia allows online application forms to be downloaded and lodged at an Australia Embassy if overseas, effectively providing an online renewal process. No need to travel, perhaps other Embassies should get their sheet together LoL

This varies on aircraft flight policies, I know with AirAsia, I was aloud to board with my Pink ID, but on the way back, wasn't, so I was shown their policy, which stated all foreigners must board with a Passport. Rarely will your Embassy hold your Passport, I would take a photocopy in case, and or ask them for a letter to give to the airline advising them that they are holding it for such and such reason. Good luck

What about: 3. Those of us that worked their ringers off for 40 years, came to Thailand in their mid 40's, met a girl (bar girls) if you like, then returned a few years later and have been here for a decade enjoying life off of their investments vs still having to work to survive back in their home countries where everyone is screaming that the cost of living is unaffordable ?

Sounds like someone is looking to make a quick exit LoL