4MyEgo

When my wife's x split, she went to the local Amphur and changed the boys surname back to her maiden name, problem sorted. That might be an an option of less paperwork and stressful environment for you, albeit I do know that as the father was never in the picture after the kid was one years old, and that the whole village where witness to the situation and the Mayor assisting, it was much easier than going through the rigmarole of courts etc etc. The above said, we even took them abroad when they were 15, no problems with passports being issued or leaving the country.

Have you thought of ringing them and asking ?

I think you will find that, that is changing, and of course it depends on the country and car company. It used to be that way in my country, but when I read the rental cars terms, you can see that they would accept debit cards, but they would draw down $4,000 as the waiver fee in case of an accident, so you had to make sure you had that amount on your debit card, they would then reimburse your card when you hand the car back. I don't have a credit card, and I don't want one, it's cash or debit card which is my cash anyway, and when the Thai's try me on for a 5% surcharge, I tell them to weigh up the profit on the items vs the 5% charge they want to take from me, yes, yes, they say it's Visa/Mastercard, I don't care, but I will not pay it, they can take it out of their profit, or keep the goods, and yes I win hands down each time, but that's another topic.

My bad, your 100% correct, I'll go back to blocking him 🤐

It all depends on the gal you married. I go on holidays by myself at times as my wife doesn't want to go at times, suffice to say I might be away for a weekend or a week. If my Mrs wasn't ok with it, I wouldn't be with her, she is secure, as am I, and if she gets a serving on the side, I am ok with that as well, as I do. Each to their own, can't live in each others pockets and eat the same meat all the time. It works for us, so don't care what others think., Been married to her for 2 decades, so know the girl well. Would this work with a western woman, nope, that is why I am not with a western woman, hell no !

Google is your friend. You don't need to lodge a tax return if:Centrelink is not withholding tax from your pension payment and you have no other income. If your aged pension payment is your only source of income, then you do not need to lodge a tax return. https://www.kpgtaxation.com.au/blog/how-much-can-an-australian-pensioner-earn-before-paying-tax/#:~:text=Typically%2C you need to be,%2428%2C974 per person for couples.

I did say that I was going to block you and I did, that said, I enjoy reading comments from those who contribute to this topic, that said, I unblocked you to see what information you keep posting, and of course, I will address your 30% non residency misinformation for Age Pensioners for the last time, as I don't enjoy searching for hours to prove a point that you won't accept. All of the above said, I am certain I have raised SAPTO with you before, anyhow, it allows Age Pensions or those that qualify, e.g. not necessarily Age Pensioners to receive a certain amount before they start to paying taxes, oh YES, we know that the Age Pension is assessable income, however, as I have mentioned on numerous occasions that it is only assessable, "if it is not your only source of income", now think about that for a minute, if you can. Now knock yourself out and do tell me that based on the information that I have provided you with below, that I am wrong. https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/income-deductions-offsets-and-records/tax-offsets/seniors-and-pensioners-tax-offset

I'm assuming PEA are doing there best to notify their customers when they give them their monthly bill, e.g. it is written on the bill, not to fall for such scams, yeh right 🤔

I don't agree with your apples and oranges summation. I stated what the house that I reside in would cost me to build with land, where I came from to give you an idea. Nothing to do with apples and oranges so to speak. If I went to the boonies as you refer, I would probably save 1/3rd of that. What's your point, moving off topic, e.g. you asked did one ever consider leaving and how many times, and I gave you my answer, with a little more to my reasonings, end of story.

I did think about it once or twice, but when I look at what it costs to rent in the old country, before even thinking about the cost of food etc etc, is enough to turn me off. What I have learnt in the decade that I have lived here is, that you can't live back in the old country the way you would live here, e.g. to live in the house that I built my Mrs on her land, e.g. 5 beds, 3 baths, on 1,000 square metres with a 20 metre frontage, yes up country, would cost me 60 million baht vs 2.5-3.0 mil baht that it cost me to build it here. To rent say a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom 100 square metre 2000 built condo where I would want to live would set me back 18,000 baht per week, yes week. Thailand is not perfect by far, and you can call me a racist if you like, but I'm not, the thing is, I only see the same faces here (Thai's), over and over again, vs a failed multi-cultural society back in the old country. Would I go back, what would be perfect for me would be to spend 3 months here, 3 months there, or 6 and 6 but it's hard with kids, so you bite the bullet, but when the kids do finish school, I will seriously look at returning for them, because work and working conditions here is the pits from what I have been told.

I suppose it all depends where you cash in your $'s, and that is a low rate. That said, you never cash in all of your $'s on a low rate. I think I heard you were in Pattaya, surely there are exchange booths there with good rates, just have to shop around, or ask about, but 21.73 isn't right, I keep an eye on the rate out of curiosity, and I thought it was hovering around 22.30 ? 100/21.73 = $4.60 based on the rate you exchange your $'s on. That's funny, wasn't trying to get rid of you by any chance was he Yorgo ? Come on m8, you come here for what a week or 2 at best and tell us that the prices here in Thailand are comparable to Australia. Not a fat chance, as for fast food chains, sure you will pay the same basically worldwide, but why would you eat that crap and pay the prices they ask, when you can eat a good Thai meal for about $2.00. Incorrect ! You will pay more in Tourist areas, did you try Big C or Lotus's, not those walk in off the street places where they stick it to those dumb farang tourists. I remember when my cousin came over and I met him in Phuket, I said anything you want, run it by me 1st, I went into a 7/11 store to get a 600ml water for 10 baht (46c), which you would pay 5 times that $2.75 ++++ in a 7/11 in Oz, any how, I saw him across the road in one of those touristy shops where they sell beach towels, cozzies etc etc and he had a beach towel in his hand and as I walked in he said how much and the lady showed him her calculator with 600 baht on it $27.61 using your exchange rate, he was about to buy it, when I said 300 baht, she said no, 500, I said thanks, and grabbed my cousin, walked into another one down the road, grabbed a beach towel and said 300 baht, 400 she said, I said Mi Ouw, 300 baht and she said ok, sucker born every minute. Your shopping in the wrong places, Big C 100 baht ($4.60), personally, I buy my sandals, thong type (Sketchers) 1,200 baht ($55) when on sale from Lazada for about 750 baht ($34.50), as I am in them most of the day, and they are great for supporting my back and legs vs the old thong which offers me nothing except leg and back pain in my opinion. Australia is not cheaper than Thailand, if you think it is, your delusional. I will be there next year, and accommodation starts at $250 a night, I just spent a week outside Pattaya in a really nice hotel for 1,150 baht per night $53, including a huge buffet breakfast, swimming pool and full gym. For the record, I am not on the Age Pension which is about 50k baht from what I hear, and if it was only me, I could live on that here easily, but I budget on $100 a day or 2,173 baht a day for a family of 4, that includes two domestic trips a year, running a car and eating good quality food. You need to set a budget, rent a good place that will make you happy, for say 10k baht a month in Hua Hin and start learning the ropes, e.g. where to eat for reasonable money, where to shop, where to drink, where to hang. Then all you got to do is put up with immigration once a year, 4 x 90 day reporting online, enjoy the smoke season and Thai drivers for a starter, if you can survive that, your almost there. Personally, I wouldn't return to Australia as the cost of living there is at least twice that of Thailand, excluding rent, because you won't have anything left from your Age Pension once you pay that. What was that you were saying earlier about comparing prices of Thailand vs Australia 🤑 Oh as for Vietnam, I have no idea, the world is your oyster Yorgo.

And there in lay the problem, did I also read, that Max should respect Thai laws, yep, no short changing in that is there, just saying, 870 baht wasn't enough for them 🤑

I do, for at least an hour when I get the urge 😍 Some of the rest other times I sit on the bar stool listening to all the BS and the wieners. I'd rather be by my lonesome. All that free time for me to do whatever I choose.

Been here over a decade. If you hold real estate, you may want to reconsider as the capital gains tax will be high and I believe, goes back to the day you purchased the property, not when you left the country, but pleas do check with an accountant, also if you rent the property, you cannot negatively gear it, i.e. claim anything back as a loss annually, only when you sell it. Any income earned in Oz is taxable at around 32.5c to the $, also there is no $18,200 threshold so its from the 1st dollar, e.g. a 1/3rd of what you earn goes in tax as a non resident. I renew Medicare online before it expires, use an Australian address to receive the new card, and I use it when I go back, every 2-3 years so the 5 years restarts. Drivers license NSW, could renew with a form from here for the 1st time, sent it in with photos, again used Oz address to receive it. This can only be done once. I tried renewing it online the next time, was told call office, told them I was here, they said, that's why the online system rejected me, because my IP address was picked up, e.g. have to be in Oz to renew, so they gave me 2 years to renew when I returned, again single form, in person at registry, plus an eye test, only good for 5 years once you turn a certain age. Cannot vote as a non resident. No taxes or capital gains taxes payable if you buy shares, so that's an advantage, just make sure your shares are fully franked. 10% withholding tax with the banks, you have to let them know you are changing your residency to a non resident, and they will take out the tax on any interest earned automatically. With banks, if you are transferring money or stuff like that, make sure you have a mobile number with them that you can receive the code. Also helps to get a VPN and use where your from, e.g. Sydney, Brisbane etc, because so places might not let you into the site you want to go into. That's about it. Oh, if your looking to get the Age Pension after age 67, you have to be in Australia for 2 years before they will allow you to make it portable to Thailand, if your 65 and in Oz, you stay till 67, apply, get it, then you can come here. If your 67 and in Thailand, you have to return, apply and do the 2 year jail time before you can get it portable, i.e. after you convince them that you are back in Oz to stay, after the 2 years, well, you changed your mind. Maintain an Oz address if you can as it makes things much easier. EDIT: As you may or may not be aware, once you become a resident of Thailand, i.e. once you live here for 180 days or more, and you remit money to Thailand, you may have to declare it and pay tax on it. But that is something you will have to look into. Apart from the above, enjoy your transition, just watch out for the many smiles, so to speak, that is, if you can see them through all of the smoke, now that we are entering the burning season.

I have been here for over a decade, and not wanting to be one to be bragging, am in my 60's, with a big sex drive, believe it or not, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday of last week, Friday, Saturday, Sunday this week. The above is rare, very rare actually, as I am usually a once or twice a week kind of guy, but the latest chick, is a nymph, is much younger than me, and told me today after a good serve this morning, no more for one week now please 😍 My advice, get back here and increase your Zink intake, we don't have much time left here so enjoy it while it lasts, to think I won't be able to get a boner in my 70's as other have advised, worries the cr-ap out of me, it's basically all I live for, that and a few other things of course, like eating and sleeping.

Each to their own. I only go to the same massage lady that I have been seeing for over a decade when I am in Phuket, no boom boom, strictly a genuine massage, by a qualified masseuse. I aim for dinner around 6, then back to my hotel room for a nap of between 1-2 hours, shower, then out I go to the drop off point, i.e. opposite Bangla Road (away from the Beach Road end). I just hang there as the motorbike taxis, drop off the girls going to work, and when I spot one that's up to my standard, I will follow that a$$ down Bangla Road until she goes into the bar that she works, I will do a round and come back in 10 minutes and grab a seat, buy her and myself 2 drinks max, have the small talk, then get down to the business side of things, by then it's about 10pm and we are off to the hotel, by 11.00 - 11.30 dessert has been served and I show her out, shower, then in bed by midnight. Cost is usually around 3,000 baht excluding my drinks and I am satisfied. Noise, well depends on the bar, no pressure to buy lady drinks, I offer when I order my own drink, no pressure to take the girl back as I know what I want, and have never been knocked back. I can understand what your friend is doing, but as someone else mentioned, those mattresses and girls have more than likely seen more sex than your hotel room. Like I said in the beginning, each to their own, been there, done that and just didn't feel clean for me.

You do realise Yorgo, that we are all going to die. There are no guarantees in life as to how long we will survive, so best enjoy everyday and stop worrying about this or that, worry about it, if and when it happens. In the mean time, eat healthy, exercise, grab a girl or 2 while your here, and release some of that build up testosterone. 99.9% of insurers won't cover you in an emergency situation unless you spend at least 24 hours in a hospital, that is what they consider an emergency. Looks like they outsmarted the fox this time Yorgo, and we know you won't be taking them to court, because if you read the fine print, you would know that they are within their rights to deny your claims. I looked at a travel insurance policy the other day, I was more interested in the excess waiver of $4,000 cover for hiring a motor car, e.g. if I have a prang, they pay the excess of $4,000 to the car hire company. I could have insured with the car hire company for $98 (one week) car hire, the travel insurance was $156 and covered a million things, so I thought, you know what, for the extra $58 it's worth it, i.e. until I started reading the policy, with it stating that anything with # next to it, isn't covered, anything with * isn't covered, and so on and so forth, so all those extras which I thought were a lot, were actually nothing, I would basically get my bags covered, and my flight cancellation (refund), so wasn't worth it to me. Moral of the story, read the fine prints, always, and find a policy that covers you for what you want, but I doubt you will find what you want, i.e. unless you avoid seeing Dr's for at least 13 months.

I had my 1st child to my X wife when I was 37. My 2nd child with my Thai wife when I was 49, the 3rd came along when I was 54, we had both agreed to have kids, albeit it, I was ageing, however wife is 20 years younger than me, and I am in a financial position to help them in life. Kids provide you with a lot of joy, and a lot of headaches, for without kids, life would be pretty bland in my opinion. Then came the dog, now that's another story, I can get rid of that, I think ? My advice to you is, if your fit and active, that's a bonus, if you are financial, that's another bonus. The rest comes as you age, aches and pains, and of course watching your funds deplete 🙂 Oh and having kids means you are restricted in doing a lot of things, that you wouldn't be restricted in doing if you didn't have kids. Think long and hard, before you blow that load 🤑

Life's worth nothing in Thailand, it's all about the money, money, money.

I hope that book from those heights you are referring to crushes him. Fleeing the scene is one thing, and expected here, but first thing I would be requesting is a blood test to see if he was under the influence. I haven't heard anything to suggest they are doing that.

Absolutely is great value. The exchange rate will always fluctuate, regardless of the country you come from, and yes, my home currency has been on the decline for the last 18 years, good with the bad. Really, Thailand only gets what I contribute, and I expect nothing from Thailand, that way I am not disappointed, and as far as they will take even more as you suggest, is just your presumption, in my opinion, in other words, wait, then see, then react with a plan that works in your favor. They're just catching up to the rest of the world, like I said, I expect nothing, so I'm not disappointed. The 90 days, not an issue, 3 minutes on the internet, extension every 12 months is a little bit of a pain, but it's once a year, so I don't allow it get to me, I just put it down to a system that is draconian, as we all know, and will one day change. So, you just stick to the 1,900 baht annual extension, too easy. Choice, no thanks, I will stick with the 1,900 baht visa, again, too easy. Since you asked, yes, 100k build for a massive house (yeh ok, it's the wife's), but it would cost me 10 X that to build back in the home country, so consider the decade that I have been in it, rent....LOL As for the dog, well, he does give me some enjoyment, except when pees on my car tyres 20 times a day. I consider myself having a fair IQ, and it didn't take me long to do the math to realise that moving to Thailand would reduce my working life by 12 years. I planned the move, took 5 years, sold up and invest my money which has provided me with a tax free haven while living here, so it's been an affordable lifestyle since I have lived here. It's not perfect, smoke, driver/riders, cops, dogs, politics, etc, etc, but I choose to live in my own world, with a close nit farang crowd that I see a couple of times a week, shoot some stick, play some golf, go on domestic holidays with the family and some, international holidays every 2-3 years, so I suppose for those of us with less than half a brain, who have money, we are stuck here 🙂 I will leave you with a famous quote: If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your opinion of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment. - Marcus Aurelius

Totally agree, our dog is always inside the front gate, he's only a little thing, but when the courier comes and drops off parcels, I told him to close the gate because I didn't want the dog going on the road to either get hit and killed or bringing down a motorcycle rider, he just gave me that LOS smile. I told the wife, best you tell him next time, she's my pet dog, and she gave him a real nice barking, gate is always closed now, didn't ask her what she said, but he doesn't know she all bark and no bite.....LOL

Absolutely gut wrenching to hear and see the video, I can't imagine the pain and suffering all of those parents must be going through, and loved ones. For what it's worth, our kids don't go on school excursions, period, and our very reason is that we do not trust the buses, or the drivers. The School Principal tried to persuade us a while back to allow our kids to go, by saying it was mandatory, with my reply being, respectfully, can you guarantee the safety of our children outside of the school, she hesitated for a minute and I said, I understand, therefore as they are our children, they are our responsibility when not at school, that is mandatory, suffice to say, if it makes it any better for the school, our children can be absent from all excursions due to them suffering travel sickness, she looked at me and smiled as if to say, I want to slap you hard, but she had no come back. As parents, we make decisions, right or wrong, I prefer we make those decisions than allow others to do them for us, just because it's the way of the world, so to speak. RIP little Angels.

7% is that tax free and what capital gains would be looking at, as a percentage return is good, but you also want capital appreciation, 7% profit in today's terms is not 7% when you take inflation, e.g. cost of items that have increased over time vs the $, baht etc. Americas latest inflation rate is 2.5%, if you believe those figures, would mean you would be receiving 4.5% before tax, if any. Thailand's latest inflation rate is between 1% - 3%, if you believe those figures, would mean you would be receiving between 4% - 6% before tax if any. Personally, I don't believe the above inflation figures for my own reasons. The above said you need to look at bigger returns, like 10% + I have been averaging 12% - 20% tax free, but am not going to tell you where you can get that, as I am not a financial investor, and sure the heck beats getting what your suggesting. Good luck

It's a no brainer. 1) Stray dogs, collect and destroy, pests. 2) Dog attacks, collect and destroy, if owner identified, sue for damages 3) Chip each and every dog 4) Each and every dog must be registered with local council, recording owners details.