HauptmannUK

The situation is confusing. In the past couple of weeks I have had about half a dozen items arrive from Chinese suppliers with values between ฿500 - ฿6000.. No taxes or fees charged. In each case the tracking suggests that the package went via a 'transit country'. In Thailand they were handled by Flash. First tracking point in Thailand was Khon Kaen... Yesterday I received some car parts from Japan. Value ฿2000. The package was sent by Japan Post and appeared in Thailand at 'Laksi Mail Centre'. Then went to customs for a day. Was then delivered by Thailand post. No charges, fees or taxes...

Two weeks ago on a Saturday morning from airport to BNH Hospital Silom. It was about ฿400 on the meter and I gave him money for the motorway tolls (฿70 total IIRC).

Crikey! He was being extremely optimistic trying to smuggle that lot. The sniffer dog wouldn't be able to stand up after getting a whiff from that lot.

Sorry, but I simply do not believe this. I have an extremely detailed knowledge of how benefit fraud is dealt with and the situation you have described does not happen. Cases of fraud-related overpayment of benefits to claimants living abroad are known as 'Abroad Fraud' within DWP. DWP largely relies on tip-offs to identify Abroad Fraud. DWP does not have access to Border Force data to identify Abroad Fraud, nor can BF data be used in Interviews Under Caution or Prosecutions. The overwhelming majority of Abroad Fraud is due to claimants claiming Universal Credit or Pension Credit while living overseas (unlike the State Pension, UC and PC are not 'Exportable Benefits'). If Abroad Fraud is suspected then the intelligence (usually a tip-off via the Benefit Fraud Hotline - DWP staff don't have time to go on 'fishing expeditions') is recorded on a Fraud Referral Form which goes to the Abroad Fraud Triage Team. They will look at the claimant profile, the likely amount of fraud and their confidence in the intelligence, and make a decision as to whether an investigation should be started (keep in mind that investigative resources are very limited). If the case is deemed worthy of investigation then the data is entered into DWP's FRAIMS (Fraud Referral and Intervention Management System). A member of the Abroad Fraud team would then pick up the entry. If a pensioner has a UK bank account and a UK address then avenues for investigation become very limited. Border Force data cannot be used and the investigator would literally have to interview airline staff to get statements that the suspect had travelled on a particular date (airlines don't normally hand over passenger lists to DWP). DWP do not have access to banking transactions when investigating Customer Compliance issues. Facebook/Social Media is one area where unwitting self-incrimination is possible. Assuming evidence is obtained then a decision would be made as to whether the case would result in a criminal prosecution or whether its a Customer Compliance issue. In the case of failing to report moving overseas then it would be classed as a Customer Compliance issue. State Pension is not a Sanctionable Benefit so the pension would simply be reset to the level it was at when the pensioner left the UK. If the overpayment has been substantial then DWP may issue an 'Administrative Penalty' ('Adpen' in DWP-speak). Since 2015 the minimum Adpen is £250 and maximum is £5000. Adpen guidelines set an amount at typically half the overpayment - e.g. if £2000 is overpaid then the Adpen is £1000. £10k+ overpayment would lead to the maximum of £5k Adpen. An Adpen is essentially voluntary and the customer must agree to pay it. It cannot be simply deducted from pension payments. If the customer does not accept the Adpen then DWP can prosecute for the amount of the Adpen. However CPS set quite a high threshold on prosecution and where an individual is living overseas the offence would need to be of such gravity as to potentially attract at least a 12 month jail sentence. The total amount of state pension fraud (UK and overseas) is thought to be very very low - I think in 2022 the estimate was 0.7% of benefit fraud. The avenues open to DWP for investigating Abroad Fraud by State Pension claimants are really very limited. Moreover the amount of overpayment is invariably small in comparison to other benefit frauds so the cost-benefit of investigation in unfavourable. Almost all cases would be self-incrimination and tip offs due to family/friend fall-outs. State pension fraud is bottom of DWPs priorities. In contrast, for the last Financial Year End about 12% of Universal Credit claims were estimated to be 'in overpayment' (a loss to DWP of about £6.5 billion) - that is over ten times the total estimated cost of unfreezing all pensions (£600M).

In the UK I am part-owner of our family used car dealership. Although we deal in all marques we specialise in BMW and MB. I have seen quite a few wrecked MBs at salvage yards but that must rank as the worst I've ever seen. The GLC 300E will top out at around 230km/h and I reckon he must have been 200km/h+. I am also sceptical of the 'pothole' theory...

An update.... Ordered several ฿500ish items. Delivered by Flash. No tax. Ordered a ฿6000 car headunit from a popular AliExpress seller in Shenzhen. Delivered by Flash. No tax or fees. Very pleased. Watching the tracking I noticed it was shipped via a 'Transit Country' - no idea which country. Strangely it first tracked in Thailand in Khon Kaen. Then went to Samut Phrakan then Chonburi and Pattaya.

Post-2016 43THB is actually pretty good. I suspect the killer for many UK expats is the frozen pension.

Any BM's taking this medication? Last night I was talking to my daughter back in the UK. She is a Urology Dr. in a hospital there. She was telling me that a consultant she works with has been taking Mounjaro weigh loss drug for six months. Apparently it has almost miraculous benefits. He was BMI over 30, onset diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Six months later and all resolved - life-changing in fact....... She reckons huge numbers of people will soon be taking it. Apparently the drug itself is cheap (like GBP5.00 for a month's supply) but the injector pens are costly to make, pushing the price (in UK) to well over GBP100.00 for a month. I don't need this medication at the moment because my BMI is just about in normal range and I am not diabetic or HBP, but nice to know its available.

Yes, I have started doing some gentle exercises to strengthen neck muscles.

Thai police DO have tasers. My wife paid police ฿9000 to have a local troublemaker tasered and arrested. The cop sent her footage of the guy on the ground with taser barbs in him.

I first travelled to Thailand almost 40 years ago and have been back many times to visit, live and at times work here. Over that period countless billions of tourist baht have poured into the country but still the basic infrastructure is lacking. Death-trap pavements, road crossings that put naive visitors in harms way. Litter and plastic garbage piled up on beaches. Black bags full of stinking trash left at the roadside and on waste ground. And it would be nice if some kind of government-backed accident insurance could be made available to tourists, or if not then rigorously enforce motorbike rental regulations to protect them from their own stupidity..

My wife calls Carnation 'นมข้นหวาน' (nom-con-wan), literally 'milk-condensed-sweet'.

Depends entirely on the T&Cs of the ticket you bought. Some tickets are completely open. Some are non-changeable, non-refundable. If you bought through an agent then another layer of complexity.

I think at the moment the situation can be summed up in the words of Donald Rumsfeld....."as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know." The mind truly boggles at how they will implement any of this. I think only something like 6% of Thais pay taxes. My wife's father was one of 14 siblings up in Udon. There are therefore numerous members of my wife's extended family scattered around the province and some in Pattaya too. They all seem to be involved in businesses of some sort. Some legal and some occupying what might be charitably described as a 'grey area'. I don't think any of them pay tax. My wife owns a couple of small businesses and also rents out two condos in Pattaya. I don't think she even has a tax number.... If I ever mention tax she gives me a 'death stare'. One of the extended family run a fair sized entertainment business in Pattaya. My wife and I were once talking about how much profit he was making (quite a bit). I said 'he must pay a lot of tax on that'. My wife says 'He doesn't pay tax'. I said 'How can he not pay tax?'. Her response was 'Some people pay tax and some people don't'. I left it there.

Just to round off this topic for those who might have similar spine/neck problems... Following my MRI I booked an appointment online with Dr Wicharn at BNH Hospital Spine Centre. I got a call from BNH about two hours later confirming the appointment time at his next clinic (only two days away) and a link to do online registration. I had my own MRI CD but Dr Wicharn likes X rays taken in a particular way so I was asked to turn up an hour before the appointment for X rays. Arrived at BNH and they were super-efficient - already had my details in their system. Took my MRI CD off me and I was led straight off to do the X rays and then waited for the consultation. Anyway, Dr Wicharn is an affable character. He diagnosed age-related spondylosis, degeneration and a bit of stenosis. He went through MRI and x-ray images on-screen with me. Basically he said I have a typical 60-something cervical spine and not to worry. Written diagnosis was 'nothing clinically significant'. Total cost for X-rays and consultation with a written 'medical certificate' was ฿4500 which I think is reasonable. I feel BNH is a bit 'over the top' in terms of their decor and chandeliers etc., but they were very efficient. So total cost of all this was ฿9000 at MRI in BangNa + ฿4500 at BNH. Not too bad for peace of mind. I live near Jomtien and didn't feel like driving to appointments (especially BNH, where parking is limited) so I took the Jomtien airport bus and then taxis from the airport. Bang Na MRI is about 30 mins from the airport (฿300) and BNH 40 mins (฿400) at off-peak times. Bang Na MRI is a bit shabby, however the scanner suite is clean and tidy. I'm tall and broad (95kg and 188cm) but not particularly fat and only just fitted in the scanner. Written radiologist report was emailed to me the next day (Dr Wicharn's interpretation was somewhat at odds with the report so I wouldn't take it as gospel). I was supposed to get a follow-up call a few days later to discuss the report but that never happened.

Thank you Sheryl. I've followed your advice. I had an MRI done at 'mrithailand'. As expected, quite a lot of age related degeneration showing up. Also slight spondylolithesis. I'm currently trying to get an appointment with the doctor you recommended at BNH.

Last night there was some kind of fight amongst some young Arab guys in Soi 17 near the 'Roger Tailor' shop. About half a dozen guys going at it. One lad sitting on the kerb holding his shoulder - looked like a stab wound.

Thanks for the replies. Still a totally confusing situation though... This week I received an item (a plastic moulding) from AliExpress - picked up from BangLamung PO. I was told nothing to pay because the value was only ฿1000. I asked how much I would I have to pay on a ฿5k item and was told that they 'don't know, wait until it arrives'?! I want a particular product from one seller in China - they will do DDP to EU/UK but not Thailand. Maybe I'll just order it and cross my fingers....

I split my time 50/50 between UK and Thailand. My (Thai) wife has businesses in both the UK and Thailand needs to be in UK at least half the year. I have a business that ticks over without me but I have family there that I like to see and also a collection of cars I mess about with and am restoring. The DTV is perfect for me. Five years for £300 and 180 days per entry. Was easy to get. I doubt they'll revoke it.

I want to buy a particular Android headunit to experiment with. I can only find it on AliExpress. Cost around ฿5-6k. I know that the law was changed recently to apply import tax on items above ฿1500. Does anyone have any RECENT experience of having to pay tax on items sourced from AliExpress wi่th a declared value over ฿1500?

I have bought a number of bikes into Thailand over the years. New and used. Tourist visa and spouse visa. They are all still in Thailand. I never declared anything - just put through Emirates oversize baggage. Only got stopped once with a very large bike box. The customs guy asked 'What is it?'. I said 'a bike', an he waved me on. Bought lots of tools through, a big trolley jack (that was a struggle), hi-fi system, race exhaust system for a motorbike etc. Customs have never shown much interest.

Many thanks for the replies. I'll probably get an MRI then and try the specialist in Bangkok. For years I have had mild tightness around the shoulders and massages help a bit, but I specifically ask for my neck NOT to be massaged for fear of causing more problems. At the moment the pain comes and goes and there is no radiculopathy. I did bash my shoulder about six years ago but recovered from that (a friend bought himself a brand new Toyota Fortuner and was under the impression it was a Porsche - he managed to flip it onto its side near that big zoo in SriRacha - despite my protestations to slow down! Took a year to fully recover).

Could you get a DTV (soft power?). You'd be good for 5 years.

I'm over 60 and for the past six months have had neck pain. My daughter is a doctor in the UK and when I was last there (about a month ago) I asked her to take a look at my neck. She is always very dismissive of my health conditions and she just prodded my neck a few times, got me to move my head around and declared that its age-related deterioration of the vertebrae and nothing can be done. She isn't a GP though (works in a hospital) and doesn't do orthopedic work. She said its a waste of time getting an X-ray. I find that hard to believe and would like to get an X-ray done in Pattaya. Any suggestions for a local orthopedic specialist who would order up an X-ray and interpret it?

I obtained a DTV from London a few weeks ago. I simply wrote a letter using Limited Company heading with the title 'Confirmation of Employment'. I just stated that I had been an employee of the company since xx.xx.20xx and then signed it. Nothing mentioned about remote working, hours, pay etc. Keep it simple.