Presnock

Trump is even worse that KH as at least someone will have a leash on almost everything she does of any importance whereas Trump just plans on destorying democracy of the US, wiping out the constitution, getting revenge on all those who have told the truth about him. According to stats, his four years tint drove the debt 7 trillion further and he plans on doing even worse this time around, promising more tax breaks for the richest group and their companies. He is corrupt, a poor negotiator, lies about everything he doesn't like or understand and blames everyone else for any mistakes (not that he admits to of course) that he makes. This is my opinion based on all the stories I have heard about him since VN days.

Personally, I am not against anyone qualified to be the president of the US. Woman should have that right too. Those that speak about this in terms of religious beliefs, should read the US constituition about separation of state and religion. As long as one is a good person, will back the US Constitution oath faithfully, and honor the freedom rights of the US citizens, and work without any corruption, I would support that president, no matter the sex or race or whatever. However, the rich and powerful seem to have taken over completely in selection of the candidates, based (IMHO) on what the winning candidate will provide them with ever increasing rewards. Current candidates should never even have come close to being a candidate for the presidency in my opinion. But I am only 1 vote so I refuse to give it to either of them!

Hypochondria stikes again...getting untold number of hospital/doctor visits with no definite answers as to cause would probably have any insurance coverage denied. Just saying. But if you can afford it continue your doctor visits.

Well once AI rules, yeah I am sure life will change - already, in the US many young folks who got STEm degrees and worked for many of the leading companies of the "future" have had their jobs taken away by the very things they were writing script/apps about that ended up replacing themselves by AI methods. Now they can't find jobs, still young and that will happen to more and more - just look at some of the auto manufacturers that have replace people with robots. Expensive at first but then cost effective as no salaries, no health insurances, no pensions, and no strikes. Those sci-fi movies we watch are more accurate that the human mind might think. Just my thoughts and observations.

Check it out, alcohol is classified as a POISON for the human body. Alcohol and alcoholic beverages contain ethanol which is TOXIC! The World Health Org. says that no level of alcohol is safe for one's health! Just saying...I had my days of drinking a beer or two but gave that up decades ago. I hardly ever got high even as I just could not stand a hangover and I worked out every day as I still do and it seem counter intutitive to why I exercised. Just saying and agree it may also waste one's money but to each his own I guess as many are probably laughing at why I exercise so often. Best of luck and health to all.

Originally I of course used the embassy letter with my pension yearly but then eventually the embassy stopped providing a letter and the IO told me that he only wanted Thai documentation and since my pension just goes to my US bank, he didn't want that document either, stating that I was providing way too muchj documents! I swear he said that! this was at CM too and then that is the way I did my yearly extension of stay with only the local bangkok bank documents of the greater than 65K monthly deposit from overseas until I changed this year to LTR.

The tax law cuts for the rich was due to expire next year and Biden when he was still running for office, said that he would change that law so that folks making less than 400K per year would still keep their cuts, bu that the rich and corporate taxes would go back up to what they were, while Trump has been promising the rich for even more cuts! Biden couldn't change the Trump cuts as it would have to pass through the Congress that Trump still controls even though he is out of office. The Reps just like Gaetz and the latest where FEMA asked for more funds for the hurricane stricken areas including FLorida (Gaetz is their rep in Congress) and Republican Gaetz voted against that FEMA request for money even when Florida is about to be hit by another strong hurricane. I bet the voters will forget that next election though as the Republicans will make some kind of excuse for him! My opinion and I am definitely not a Democrat fan.

CM - if you plan on ever answering anyone or commenting on anything here, seems like there is always someone that seems offended though in about 99.9% of the cases, we are only providing our opinion on something. I sure don't know why they get offended when you are only providing what you know or have read. Just like this taxation subject... folks can easily google the Thai Revenu Dept website and it is in English if one desires so and they can read just what we tell them that we have read there. I too don't understand why if one has no tax due they have to file the tax forms and some say that if one goes to a RD local office they will say you don't have to file if you owe nothing but the website does indicate a fine is possible if one doesn't file but has assessable income even though it is below the necessary minimum for filing - based on logic but TIT and we all know that means it is what the locals say it means, not what the ENGLISH says. Take care, hopefully when the new forms come out, they will either have a place for no tax due to exemptions or below the levels necessary and a change in the RD website to make things clearer - Yes, I know I am dreaming!

just reading from the thai revenue dept website, I blv it says if one has assessable income they are to obtain a Thai tax id number and fill out the tax forms and (quoting fm the RD page) pay tax if any. Sounds to me like they want one to file even if there is no tax owed. After that quote, the rd provides everything about income and charts for taxes , etc. I for one will have NO ASSESSABLE income so I will not obtain a tax id number unless they change that rule and thus will not file any tax forms. Just saying, one can easily go to the Thai revenue department website (ENGLISH) and read for themselves. Good luck on your tax situation whatever it may be.

news reports today that pollution in BKK is now high - might be that!

I was on a Retirement O and found the paperwork to be much less - don't have to worry about getting bank letters , only need to show income, health insurance, and anything needed, one can do on one's own computer without having to go elsewhere. BOI gives you an account and you just upload your documentation to them. Easier in my opinion. Happy with their support too. Took only two weeks for approval "wealthy pensioner" LTR.

totally agree. we have been shopping at TOPPS for the last year with occassional stops at Villamart (Latkrabang) I have been buying olive oil for years and the past year the prices have more than doubled now about 700-800 baht, for unfiltered apple cider vinegar - 650-700 baht, and then yesterday at Villamart I was looking for rolled oats )(1 kilo) from US was 600 baht!!!!! I buy from UK or Aus for less than 300 (organic) or less than 200 from Australia. I read about the olive groves in Spain and those problems to try to explain why the great increase but looking at some of the fruits and veggies even local, I am amazed that the locals can afford to shop there at all. I guess it is like the complaints from the Americans in the US - the explanations for the high costs of groceries and other items is due to the inflation during the pandemic period - that is over, inflation is barely above 2% now so why are the prices still so high there too? Guess the rich just need to get richer to keep up with their neighbors. Same with the big pharma folks and health insurers - now I see their member costs are for "Cadillac coverage" based on the costs! getting extremely expensive.

some of the bakeries do real sour dough bread and are associated with a restaurant and that way you could indicate the type of cheese as well. just google bakery with sour dough sandwiches - then check out their location which is convegient for you. The best I have seen was sourdough fresh baked bread with fresh sliced tomatoes with Mozzarella - healthy too!

As an American civil servent retiree, I automatically get a 1099R (like the civilian w2 form which provides my income, taxes and health insurance premium) an annuity statement also provides the same data. In addition, they seemed to prefer the 1040R so any of these documents from the US govt suffice for pay and taxes. In addition, my health insurer is a US govt sponsored health provider (BC/BS) so I have their yearly benefits package sent to me automatically in January each year too. In addition, although the benefits package (20 pages) explains that hospitalization expenses are 100% guaranteed, the BOI asked for a letter from the insurer that it covered USD $50K for hospitalization which the insurer sent to me the very next day. Therefore, all documentation that I need or that any American might need can be provided online from one's own computer without having to go anywhere else. Of course my finances are super simple in that I only have a US civil service pension as income and I don't need any letters from banks or elsewhere. I previously had a Retirement O for 20 years and there were many changes during that period but still required much documentation every year plus the 90-day reports too, plus if exiting the country and returning without losing the extension of stay, one must have that stamp from the immigration too. LTR doesn't have any 90-day requirement, in an out as many times as one wants without any restrictions, can use the express line when coming back into the country, etc. Yeah, still have the TM.30 but that too is now online so things are getting easier but this takes immigration out of the picture almost. A yearly report of address is required for the LTR but one can do it by agent, a spouse or anyone at the BOI or if one leaves the country during that year, the one-year between notifying the BOI of address resets so if one does travel often, no yearly report would even be necessary. As with ALL other visas, qualitifications during the period of the visa must be valid for that visa to be valid. For the LTR, if one did not meet the qualification during one of the years, the DIRGEN of the Revenue Department could take away the tax exemption of remitted foreign funds for that particular year according to the royal decree on the LTR. But, to me overall if one does travel often outside the country, then this visa comes out to be even cheaper than the retirement extension each year and departure/returns. Still the perfect one for me.

Been this way since at least when I first lived hiere in 1972 - one could watch the truck drivers sitting "beside the holy one" instead of directly facing traffic and many times causing an accident. They are fatalistic so death tolls don't seem to affect them much, even when so many children are high on those polls too. Most drivers here learn road knowledge on a motorcycle and if one has ever spent anytime on a bike, one realizes that itis totally different from an automobile/truck. Drive the mountain roads here and watch every corner where motorcycles cut the corners and drivers that learned that way continue to do so while driving cars, trucks or buses and as you come around a mountainside, directly in front of you is a vehicle coming through the corner in YOUR lane. If you blow the horn or flash your lights, that person might then attack you due to road rage! The death tolls just don't affect them. Look at the latest bus and kids accident - parents who have not done any raising of one of the victims of this accident, are CLAIMING the insurance monies instead of letting it go to the actual person raising that child - only the thought of money can wake them up! My opinion anyway based on 30+ years in this country that I do love but also that I know is nowhere near perfect.

if any doubt from newcomers as older know full well that one can get away with killing someone while high on drugs and 10 years later still running around the world free; look at the latest general gets an arrest warrant out, instead of waiting in jail, is allowed to leave the country so he can escape the law. just too obvious and do not understand why it continues constantly. Someday, maybe the citizens will demand a stop to this. Or not!

Yeah says 10-year VISA. I guess that they feel that they want to make sure that the person is still qualified for the LTR. But, there is no running around needing paperwork from somewhere else, one can just do all the paperwork from his computer at home. A lot simpler and easy without so much paperwork. For me, the perfect visa and I am extremely happy to have it.

stat for kids after that horrible bus crash for the last 10 years, 1/3 of deaths of kids is on the road in Thailand, listed over 26K

Yeah the 3rd party compulsary insurance

That is for sure, in more ways than just this Thai tax bit.

The problem here is that 80% or so of the road deaths are motorcycle riders - total road deaths are 24K. And if I am not mistaken, motorcyclists are not required to have insurance so the police normally just charge any other vehicle that hits the motorcycle.

Chill ol' buddy - your help is always appreciated by the majority anyway. I agree that the problem with the rich is that they are rich and seem afraid that they will lose their richness. I get occassional slams for my verbiage on certain subjects especially the taxes as I was totally ignorant originally when all the taxation schemes erupted and by reading notes from Mike Lister, you and a couple of others, I learned exactly where I could find the necessary documentation of the Thai Revenue Dept. NOW, I fully understand my tax status and am worry free as my finances are super basic. But I have avoided many other small tax and income problems. If I know the answer for sure then I might say something. But mostly what I tell folks is that we must wait until the final gazette is published to know for sure exactly what the Thai revenue department is actually going to do come 1 Jan-31 March 2025 and any possible subsequest worldwide taxation. Based on the local situations, this govt will continue to need and thus seek any possible extra baht out there! Best if luck for all the expats.

The way it was explained to me by a researcher : if it has a label then try to avoid it as it means it has been processed. If you don't believe that, read the contents on the label and you will see some foreign languages - naming the chemicals added for flavor, color, sugar/fructose/glucose, if not label, means it is a fruit or veggie so unless marked as organic, probably sprayed with poisons. good luck!

AMEN to these comments - Big pharma and big foods around the world want people to stay unhealthy in my opinion and that just makes them richer.

Mike Lister is another who has done a lot of work, but the US DTA is a lot clearer but again, most of us are reading the English translations which the Thai Revenue Department will be the final authority on assessable income but remember, most people are just guessing what the final forms will look like this year...good luck in your search but many repeats repeats repeats repeats over and over again.