Presnock

The switch to EV in the US reportedly has already hit the brakes as Americans are used to climbing into their vehicle and driving for hours without having to stop except for maybe a "pit stop" and the EV's just cannot do those long trips YET. Also the cost of vehicles is becoming difficult for many as wages have not come up to the losses due to inflation and housing is much more expensive than ever before with taxes being increased to pay for all the illegals pouring in. Once people realize the pollution costs of the materials needed for the EV's they will shudder to think they bought into this by the big $$$$ companies. Just like Big Pharma - over 500 new billionaires duirng the COVID pandemic and people are still paying for that. Now we are learning that foods can prevent and cure illnesses instead of drugs and medicines and have no harmful effects on the human body. Again we were led stray by the Big $$$ companies. China meanwhile is trying to cover the world with their EV's...should be interesting anyway in my opinion.

again, experts, agents, rd officials - will tell maybe what the current situation is, what seems maybe, what seems impossible, or whatever - nothing new as far as I am concerned. The final government paper stating the exact new rules, who is responsible for doing exactly what with the funds remitted what the funds are or are not...until then another several hundred people guessing what these people think in my opinion.

when I watch the local daily news, the main stories at the beginning are those localiies in Thailand that had an overnight/yesterday "Summer Storm" and the flooding and numerous damaged houses. Lookingaround the world news - weather is the main story even with the fiasco in the Middle East. It is either drought with dams, rivers, reservoires or lakes dried up totally or historic rain storms causing historic flooding, landslides, many deaths, tornadoes, wind storms, earthquakes, erupting volcanoes to such an extent that it must seem to many that we are at the end of the world that we used to know. I am glad to be OLD, I can sit back and remember what it used to be, how my generation obviously began the decline and that I can still enjoy life like this. I feel sorry for those generations that followed and that follow even further as the world weather situation continues to change for the worse. At least here, there are certain things that can be done to overcome many of the problems that I can still afford so I have no plans to depart this country that I still love. I realize it is nowhere near perfect but I also realize that very few countries in the world even come as nice as it is here. I have lived and worked in many countries in Asia, in Africa, in Europe and central America - during almost all of those years were very enjoyable but I see those countries too are suffering just as my native USA suffers with no end in sight in my opinion. Good luck to all still here, hope things do get better for everyone. Take care and be safe.

get rid of the competition so to speak

in the mid-90's, gasoline in Thailand switched to unleaded which led to a change in the pollution levels. improved but still horrible. S. Asian burning of forests and use to clear land for farming of sugar caneand corn (used for ethanol and paid for by govt) with very little govt intervention and controls worsens every year, not only because of burning in Thailand but all of S. Asia. Easy to see with the satellite showing the open fires - countries in SEA almost totaly red at times. Govt spending on war basically useless war materials instead of fire fighting equipment (necessary due to remote mountain forests) make a bad situation even worse. I have lived at times in Thailand beginning 55 years ago and can remember vividly flying from BKK to NKP and being unable to see the landscape due to SMOKE from the rice farms. I read yearly that the govt will tackle the issue - it must be the same in the reginal countries as all the citizens have to suffer too yet nothing really changes much. Now statistics are put out by the local media and it is scary as all of us suffer from the pollution. My opinion based on observations and living here for over 30 years (not continuous). I have air purifiers in every room of my houses, sent my daughter to a school that had air purifiers and even closed during periods of high pollution numbers (on line schooling which then helped when they closed for COVID), wear good quality n95 surgical masks when I exercise or go outside and not sure how long I will continue to stay here. Wife owns our house in CM and she is even talking about going extended vacation during the burning season.

say what? how could police even come up withi this intentions of the shooter who fires several times and hits a young girl in the back of neck? sounds like " oh we let the perp go because we didn't have a warrant to arrest him". My opinion is that the police don't want to work uh harder I guess.

Mike did you read the news yesterday that Thailand is or has applied to join the OECD? the report says 7 years, if you get the chance read the requirements for applicant country. Funny and can only imagine the comments forthcoming on this forum.

THE DTA between US and Thai specifically talks about Social Security payments read the DTA

all one has to do is google "LTR Board of Investment" and it will give one the 4 categories of "wealthy" folks.

Mike and several others have spent a good deal of time helping to provide WHERE one may find particulars about the tax system locally. They have also provided where to find a copy of the various DTAs for the 60+ countries with a DTA with Thailand. They have always advised that they are not experts and that agents and experts STILL do not know all the particulars of the newest interpretations. They even have gone to some revenue departments and to some tax "agents/experts" and we see different stories of what might show up. Several agencies or embassies have hosted some experts to try to cover what some issues might be and from some of them we learn that not even all those deciding the final outcome agree totally with some interpretations. Therefore, I thank Mike and the other people who provided me where I could find necessary information on the issues. I learned for myself what covers my and my income, what my government has signed with the Thai government, and have arranged my immigration status to remove any doubt what will happen to me if the RD goes ahead with the proposed tax on monies remitted into Thailand by tax residents here in country. Everyone by now should have read numerous variations to cover their particular status or at least where to find what might be...Again thanks to all those who donated their time and up with some unhappy folks on this forum. But that seems to be the world of today where too many people are not very happy with their lives and don't know how to handle things repectful of others. Again to all who have contributed information on this subject, I thank each and every one. Hopefully we will learn something from the Revenue Department in the near future or possibly not. Final reminder - NOT ONE forum user here or elsewhere knows what the final version of this issue will look like nor how it will affect any of us or all of us. Good luck and hope we all end up happy with the results.

The LTR is advertised by the BOI stating that foreign earned income remitted into Thailand is not taxable if you have an wealthy pensioner LTR that is the advertised benefit. It further states that if you earn assessable income within Thailand you do have to pay the tax. I still do not understand why these questions continue daily/hourly or whatever when NO ONE really knows what the final regulations will be so we all should just wait until that time comes around.

yeah and to top that, daughter lost her Thai passport she believes on the plane but immigration let her in with her Thai ID and told her to go to "lost and found" and report the loss.

Yeah, now Thailand immigration don't care about dual citizens and can use whatever passport when coming in. Don't have to get visa etc. Daughter just went through it

Well I follow Dr. William Li's books on food tofight disease, food for longevity etic. If I decided that I did want to try taurine, I would not take synthetic taurine but the naturally occuring taurine would probably be safer in my opinion. There are so many natural foods that can help the body defenses and thus maybe allow one to live more health and longer lives. This has been proven in many cases and much has been learned in the the very recent years. Good luck, enjoy be happy,

A tad off line here but talking of cutting off utilities, in New York, illegal immigrants are squatting in vacant houses owned by other people some of whom were on vacation so their house was "vacant" and now has squatters. In NY and some other places, one cannot evict those squatters immediately sometimes several months of court time and it is ILLEGAL for the property owner to shut off utilities while someone is squatting on his property even though that property owner is having to pay for the utilities. Any damage the squatters do to the property has to be paid for by the property owner too.!

Already past that I think. My generation had it the best growing up and career wise - spoiled a tad by VN but since then going downhill fast. Nowadays just embarrassed by USA politicians as they would fit in the worse countries easily. Hopefully, if there is no war things will get better as the weather continues blasting countries one way or the other on a daily basis. I spent some time in Africa too and saw just how poor they are and how the west stole and still steals so much from them. Many of the ancestors of those fleeing into Europe today were treated as slaves by the same countries. Seems as though very few people as a whole are happy today, thus many problem interacting with each other. take care be good.

mankind at its best but not many western nations today are willing to treat women as slaves, burn them torture them regularly, rape if the woman won't marry them I guess I should say girl as the Muslims will marry 9 year olds to 80 year old...I lived in a Muslim fundamentalist area for a couple of years. Terroists killed a couple of my friends and but for some unknown reason my wife and I were not there at that particular time. Even those considered friends laughed when westerners died. Now the Muslims are fleeing to western countries in enough numbers to slew the voting and getting Muslim politicians and trying to change countries to their religion. The west is being outnumbered and once China or Russia join together with Iran and N.Korea and the "stans, they will overwhelm us. Scary to say the least. good luck to all and HAPPY SONGKRAN a much better water war only.

But most western believers (christians) believe in peace or peaceful settling of problems whereas the Muslim radicals follow the Koran which okays killing of non-believers - nothing good about that.

I did the 65k a month coming from my stateside bank to bangkok bank - no source on the funding other than the credit advice and the io didn't want that as it came from the states. only wanted bb info.

for the agents, you just have to upload all the necessary documents. They in turn will charge you a minimal amount when there is a copy of the TM.30 from immmigration.

speaking of the import from China, read the Thai Examiner report of the import from China of the their e-waste which the Chinese banned in 2017 but last govt here signed on for it to come to Thailand - guess they will bury in Tak with the cadium waste that they're digging up. I recall in the mid-70's driving down to HuaHin and once on the beach looking all the way down the beach and not seeing anyone else! Now they report 10 million tourists have arrived in Thailand so far this year! Going for a record.

Suggest folks interested in this to read the 10 APRIL 2024 Thai Examiner.

Hey, not sure if you have been following the local news media about the missing cadium waste from Tak that was sent south to this region and then began to go missing. The Thai Examiner has an interesting article in their 10 April, 2024 news, suggest others read it.

TIT so that could very well be the case here too, but I read ex-pat forums elsewhere and their countries too are changing their taxation methods and for the most past seem to be totally ignoring any pensions for taxation. But, since this taxation system is to be done on a volunteer system I am sure some will try to escape paying what they are required to do as usual. Until something final is published, unless something really drastic comes out of it, then I am not concerned at all nor do I plan to leave this existence as it seems a better place for me.

when I was doing my application, I sent them the 1099R's and because OPM puts 4 on one page, and the 1099R is very small I guess they didn't understand it, so I added my 1040 and immediately was approved with the letter from my govt sponsored health insurance company.