Presnock

Well from reading daily, I realize that no matter how many times any of those that have done the basic and even more than basic research into this issue, way too many folks think that they are totally alone with their particular finances...but it would be impossible I guess to really have an "expert" accurately tell one what the TRD will determine as assessable or not. I am not sure that anyone in any TRD office really begins to understand how unique every expat may be...if immigration which meets thousands every year and can't keep it all straight, just how will these TRD outlying officials every begin to understand what kind of a hornets nest they have opened. Come 2025, should be some interesting stories here on this forum. Good luck to all

that is what pneumonia is - water in the lungs and here any water in the lungs would be a flood as any is dangerous.

Well, did read the last couple of days that Portugal is going to stop taxing some folks that they had decided weren't paying their fair share. I think after the OECD last year and the intial thoughts by countries to do something has not turned out the way they originally thought so while some like Thailand are going to try to garner lots of taxes from expats, I think when the dust settles they will have to change the taxation laws again to keep expats here or get folks to retire here. They can't tax everything or else people will go to those countries that recognize this like Malyasian, the PI, Cambodia, and I think VN too. I really think that the Thais still don't know the "how" all this is going to work let alone if they try the worldwide income bit. WE'll see....

Well except what the locals call the "zero-dollar" tourists, like many Chinese pay in China, get a voucher which is then useable only at Chinese owned businesses and while here they go mostly to Chinese owned businesses - restaurants, etc. With over 17 million already here this 6 months, I would have thought many businesses would be doing well instead ofclosing or worrying about closing. I know I still spend "my fair share" daily - order from restaurants several meals a day - are healthy meals only so come with a price but worth it in the long run. Daughter is a college student here so paying for that too. But I am not complaining about the cost or spending, just that as an expat we are not treated as equals here. Oh well just so they don't bother me I won't complain. I have an LTR so no immigration hassles for 10 years, still have the TM.30 though if they get the online really reliable then that would be okay too. I love it still and have no plan to ever leave.

well, to me, being totally legal I do my own reporting, to get an agent to do everything and then not knowing if that agent is even a legal agent for any immigration or for just one official that could present problems at some time. But, if one has the money to spend on such activity, as the saying goes - "do what you want to do, your money".

He is either lying or pays an agent to do any reporting...if he is telling the truth and neither of these is correct, then we will probably read about his arrest for overstay in the future or he is a local.

Dr. William Li, (currently 2 best sellers on the market ) talks about Lutien naturally occurring in certain plants but I still take the supplements - no side effects except helps fight macular degeneration - I buy them at a pharmacy - usually in a mixed supplement with zeaxanthin (which the body also generates...) sometimes the lutien is mixed with Bilberry which is also good for the eyes. Any pharmacy will carry the lutien...try to get 20 mg per tablet for best results...some are just 10mg per tablet. I try to stay with a US brand if I can find it...Good luck!

Yeah, currently we are renting a house in BKK as daughter is a college kid...but own our house in CM, in discussions the past year, wife says she wants to keep the house but during the "burning" season thinks that we should travel to someplace with clean air. Who could argue with that? Islands or PI? During that part of the year, believe that winds are from the east - maybe beaches of VN might be okay.

Yeah, if you noted some of my passages, you would see I become more and more disenchanted with the possible spread of information from the TRD prior to 2025. But you already know my financial situation so it really doesn't impact me much. Just as an old man having lived around the world and would like to think the Thais have grown up already but as we say TIT and anything or nothing goes. Have a good one.

1st year we moved to CM about 10 years ago, we rented an apartment on hte 3rd floor - 5.3 I blvt on the scale - watched water splashing out of the pool, wires swinging right outside the apartment bldg - we had discussed buying 2 of the condos in that bldg as it was new and vacant except for us - my wife immediately afterwards said - nothing that isn't on the ground!!! In other countries (i.e. Japan, the PI, California, I have experienced 8 and 9 earthquakes - PI was my 2nd choice for retiredment but the earthquake bit and volcano (pinatubo in PI while I was in Manila) decided to take my first choice. Will hopefully live here till I'm no longer around but seems to me that the weather is getting worse and worse everywhere! have a good one!

I was assigned to Thailand in the early 70's working the US Military in NKP, then with family in 76-79, 97-2000, and again 03-05. I hate cold weather/snow. I love Thai food, hot weather, and even the rainy season (but not floods). I found that the Thai people accepted western foreigners and that the dollar went a lot further than in the US, so when I retired in 2005 I moved to Thailand. I have not regretted at any time, still love it though the pollution seems to be getting worse, govt leaning a lot more towards China (BRICS) but the food is still great too. After first wife (westerner) died of breast cancer, I remarried a Thai lady, and we have a 20-year old daughter currently a student at Chulalongkorn University (on summer break so she is doing a summer Korean class at Seoul National University). Once the government decides to publish the final paper on the income taxation picture here so that the majority (I think) of expats can relax then life could be even a bit better. Hope all still enjoy the reasons for moving here.

from my reading of the TRD code, rule number one says a person who is liable to personal income tax must obtain a TAX id NUMBER (TIN) witin 60 days from the date he "derives" ASSESSABLE INCOME, therefore, it seems to me that the TRD should advise people like me that have a US govt pension only, or those who have a BOI LTR who are not currently "liable" for income tax, that we are not required to file income tax forms not obtain a TIN. Just saying in that if they would state something like this, it would lower the number of queries/visits from expats to the TRD. Unless they change their rule on obtaining a TIN I do not plan to go the the RD for a TIN.

Especially anyone living here and having to rely on the locals to get things correct, maybe, sometimes or then again maybe not. Life is great! glad to see so much green again.

Isn't this exactly what we have said from the beginning - you and a couple of others put together some factual information for the readers...we were all guessing, then the experts/agents began advertising...until that final published document comes out not any one individual will have everything correct. I know from your and others help near the beginning, that I learned a lot more about my own financial situation and it has enabled me to totally relax but it is sometimes hard to ignore some of the comments about this issue. Just keep up the good work as you have helped the majority on this forum. take care and have a good one!

I thhink it was more times than that...but as an old fart, the memory is not as sharp as you youngsters anymore...take care have a good one!

No pink ID card and unless things change including the Revenue Department rules on getting a Tax ID number, I don't plan on getting one.

I agree with Mike, the Thai rd working with banks here will determine if one's remittances are assessable or not under Thai rules so if one sends money into Thailand, or if they do anything with ATM's or CC's, then those too will be determined by the RD to be assessable or not. One may have documentation that something is not assessable (i.e. US govt Pension or LTR if that still stands) . WOuld be nice for the RD to publish the final paper - but my feeling is they are still discussing the "HOW" of this before even beginning on the worldwide scheme. Good luck to all

they will have to amend the Thai revenue Dept's rule #1 on obtaining a taX id NUMBER as the current rule says one must remit/have assessable income and then within 60 days obtain a tax id number. I will never have assessable remittances so should never have to obtain a tax id number unless they change those rules too.

In addition, and logically - the govt advertised the LTR to get people Some rich, some smart/talented for Thailand, some well off pensioners and others with some money...thus to break the very promise of no tax on money remitted into Thailand would most likely cause many of these LTR holders to leave Thailand and definitely warn any prospective retirees to avoid Thailand forever. My opinion anyway.

You are totally wrong - annual report of local address only same as O or OA 90-day reports only this is yearly - ifyou leave the country then the 1-year next report is due in 365 days, you could end up not having to do any report of your address if you kept leaving and re-entering. I only have a Govt Pension - not taxable by Thailand so the LTR doesn't really do anything tax wise for me but I like not having to report every 90 days to immigration. Overall cost for 10-year period basically can be a tad cheaper than the other yearly renewals. Just saying...for some it is great others guess not based on complaints so they must not meet the requirements. Goodluck all.

no that is a NO requalificaton yearly...only advise boi or immigration locally of current Thai address. If one leaves Thailand anytime during the year, upon return to Thailand, he only needs to advise BOI of his address in 365 days as the time is reset if one leaves the country. But, if the LTR is not for you, don't apply, for me it is the cheapest with the best benefits...just saying and I am not RICH.

That may be the problem...as they sit around discussing the how they will implement his new procedure, each then starts to work out how many more bodies they will need and how much more work they are going to have to put into their very positions. Then they start re-thinking that procedure and go on to another... like getting immigration involved in their business - yeah I am sure immigration would just love to start doing work for the revenue dept without getting something out of it - no pluses for immigration that is for sure, just more work and more pissed off expats. Seems like the cart before the horse story again with this program and even before starting it they begin talking about the NEXT world wide program and How Much Money can we get from the foreigners? OOPS the amounts have dropped! story next year or whenever they keep count. Good luck to all, happy rainy season - glad the weather dept said that this year the rainy season would be light for the first couple of months and then in Late July early August the rains would begin in earnest and maybe two storms during the final part of this season. Seems to be a lot of rains so far for this area of BKK.

That is one of the things being asked regularly - WE STILL have not been advised by the Revenue Department of alll that goes with this new interpretation. We are being told by "experts" that once we are tax residents, in 2025 if we have assessable remittances into Thailand then we need to have a Thai ID tax number and then need to file tax forms...however, if one with a US govt pension only like I do, then I will never be remitting assessable monies into Thailand so should not have to obtain a Thai tax ID number nor should I ever file Thai tax forms. Now, if they amend the law to state that once one becomes a Thai tax resident, they must obtain a tax ID number - then they need to amend their law on that and advise the expat community that this is a "new" requirement. Or, they could look at the amount I send and if that amount is higher than what they consider "of interest", they also might advise me that I need to visit the RD in my area and explain WHY I haven't obtained a tax id nor why I did not file a tax form here. Whatever they are planning (if at all) then it would sure let a lot of people just relax and get on with life either here or elsewhere if they would publish the new amendments to the tax law and what all it entails as of 2024/2025 timeframe. Good luck to all of us.

Unless there is some kind of change, I find it difficult for banks to deduct any taxes until one is definitely declared as a Tax Resident. Prior to the 180 day (this year 27 June), if one had been in country the entire 180 days, year he would be a tax resident but unless the banks know exactly how many days one has been here during the year, they could not know one is a tax resident unless immigration and the revenue department start seeing ALL the ins and outs of expats - seems to be a job much larger than either could handle easily so in my opinion, banks won't be involved in the tax issue other than through the OECD, CRS, FACTA exchanges. I don't know how any of these interact with the Thais - through the Revenue Department, banks or what? Anyone have a clue? not me so I just don't think they could handle it anytime soon. I do hope all excape being caught up in this program needlessly.

sorry you don't like the tone but, we have advised people of this law about obtaining a thai tax id for 6 months. If you doubted our input then you could have checked a long time ago. Seems we have to repeat over and over for folks who read this forum. I didn't mean to upset you nor belittle you but, you said you have never heard of this before but you are an "advanced member" so I figured you read the forum messages regularly.