Moti24

Yesterday afternoon, I was travelling along 2nd Road in Pattaya, between Klang and Nua. There is a set of lights along that stretch that was turning red as I approached. So I stopped. About 10 seconds later, a Thai couple started to cross. Without warning, 3 pickups, a tour bus and 2 motorcycles came through on my outside without even slowing down. The couple were visibly shaken, as they were almost run-over. I was left there at the red light, with the Thai couple looking at me as if they expected me to do something. Thankfully, they were OK; however, they they were so close to the tour bus, they were extremely luck not to be knocked-down. I caught-up with the tour bus at Dolphin Roundabout. The driver didn't have a clue how to navigate round, just forcing his way, so cars had no choice but to stop. It's about time the police started cracking down on these morons!

Morris !000 Convertable. I painted it Pillar Box Red; stood out like a donkey's D1ck. It had some small holes in the front nearside floor. There were bad floods in London at the time; if I didn't slow down enough, fountains of water would jet-up and disappear over the back of the car. The good old days!

Next time you hear somebody spouting SAS stories, take their picture and tell them you are sending it to your mate at GCHQ. If you are still breathing 30 seconds later, he was talking Bullsh1t.

Jomtien; yes, I know!

Thanks for the information, Drjack. I think my best option will be to enter with visa exempt next October, and start again. I'm entering with a re-entry permit this time, so it's not am immediate problem, but I like to think ahead. Thanks to all other input from TV members. Best regards Moti

Hi All, I’m in The UK at the moment, but back in a couple of weeks. I currently have a Non-O retirement extension that expires in June. I’m planning on reducing my time in Thailand and spending around 6 months in either place. So, I would be in Thailand from the beginning of October until the beginning of April every year. To do this, I need to change my extension start date to sometime around the beginning of March. So the questions are: 1. Can I apply for a new extension in March 2025, thereby allowing me to leave Thailand at the end of March and return at the beginning of October? (I will have the necessary funds in the bank) 2. If I were to spend slightly less than 6 months in Thailand each year, would that be a problem? 3. When I return in a couple of weeks, will I have to do a TM30, even though I’m returning to the same address I have lived at for more that 10 years? Thanks in advance for any information.

Marrying a Thai Wife: Overrated or Underrated? I would have thought that was illegal; she'd need to get divorced first.

What is a Proper English Breakfast? First, you have to be in England! There's nothing like a good fry-up, when you're freezing your nuts off.

Your ignorance precedes you! I don't have a rogue extension. I have to deal with a rogue immigration office that demands the 800K be in the bank for 2 months, rather than the day of application. Amazing, how you can pick-out a small sentence from the whole post; I presume you must be pleased with yourself. You need to get a life and get out more.

Donald Trump’s New Tax Promise: Eliminating Income Taxes for Americans Abroad Very noble of him! Being as a lot of countries, like Thailand, are going to be claiming taxes from all foreigners who reside in those countries for more that 180 days, Trump is giving Americans Abroad SWA. It just saves Americans Abroad from the hassle of claiming a tax refund. Trump comes out with many promises, which are just Bullsh1t wrapped in hypocrisy.

Yes!

In my original post, I said about being unable to obtain the necessary visas, even though I had 800,000 baht in the bank. That didn't change. Immigration wanted 2 months seasoning, so I had to go to an agent. The agent wanted 2 months seasoning also; when I asked why, the answer was, "Immigration wants money". It cost me 25,000 Baht for 90 day Non-O and 1 year extension. Expats are bottom of the food chain; even the Soi Dogs are better thought of.

The year's 2567! Looks like you've already been dead for 505 years! Have you been reincarnated?

6. Taxation regulations in 2024 (paragraph 2 below): Additionally, if your country has a Double Tax Agreement (DTA) with Thailand, no tax is required in Thailand, even if the income is transferred within the same calendar year it was earned. For further clarification, please refer to the attached summary prepared by the Revenue Department. Most replies above refer to Thai privilege membership holders, but I'm not so sure about that. The paragraph begins with the word, "Additionally", and refers to countries that have a DTA with Thailand. The DTA can't differentiate between different visa holders; a DTA is a DTA, full stop. It seems quite clear to me that all countries with a DTA will not be subject to tax in Thailand. Yes, I know, TiT, and the title refers to 2024. Stand-by for further unsubstantiated news from the Thai Revenue Department.

I had the same problem setting-up a banking app with a UK bank, so I used a VPN on my phone to download the app, and it worked fine. I can't see why it shouldn't work with a Thai bank.

I've used Wise for years. If I send money from The UK to Thailand just to top-up my Thai bank account, it usually takes only a few seconds because Wise has an account in Thailand and it is a local transaction. But, if I am sending money for my visa, and require it to show in my bank book as a foreign transaction, it can take a few days. It all depends on which bank you use; BB, SCB and Kasikorn best if using wise. I use kasikorn, and never have any hold-up.

Didn't see that. Thanks

My thoughts, as a Non-American, looking in from the outside: Not long after the 2016 election, it became obvious to me that Trump was not presidential material. He's a business man, and used to giving orders, and when he asks people to jump, he is asked, "How High". The President of The United States of America will have advisers for every subject on earth. He will need to listen to the professional advice and make a decision with the information forwarded from those advisors. Trump doesn't know how to be president, only how to do what he wants, when he wants; considering that the sitting president is known as the most powerful person in the world, I find that a very frightening situation. I would probably run out of adjectives if I described my unbiased opinion of Trump, so I'll leave it there. No disrespect intended to Trump supporters; everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Wake up America.

The word "expats" is just an example, and Yes, I've read the guide. My point is that most residents of Thailand are expats, expats who contribute to the Thai economy. But, most expats are not working in Thailand, they transfer money from their native countries to fund there life style, money that is already taxed at source. But TiT, money is the be-all and end-all to the Thai Government. If they were to grant me permanent residency, I would be happy to pay the tax. The government has just announced a new Digital Nomad visa, the criteria being that they must work for a company in their home country, and they must be paid into their home country bank. So, no doubt the Digital Nomads will then pay tax when they transfer the money to Thailand. Thailand would attract more tourists, expats and businesses if the government actually cared about their visitors and stopped their fixation with the Thai Baht.

I've attached The UK/Thai tax agreement below; typical government jargon, but the required information is there. The term "Resident" is used, but are expats actually residents of Thailand? If you can make 100% sense of the agreement, you're a better man than I. The expression "Up The Creek Without A Paddle" springs to mind. UK-Thailand Double Taxation Convention signed 18 February 1981 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a80bddc40f0b623026953eb/uk-thailand-dtc180281_-_in_force.pdf Happy reading.

Thailand's Schengen-Style Visa Proposal Faces Hurdles There's only 1 hurdle they'll be worried about: how to stop the tourists from spending their money in the other countries.

Where did I say that customs processing was done in Pattaya? This is not a new policy, it's just to ensure that the government receive the extra income. If it's only a 16km round trip for you, you're lucky; Pattaya is a 35km round trip for me, 45km round trip to Immigration.

A couple of days ago, I read that with effect from last Monday, phone sim card and bank book have to be registered in the same name.

I used to import a few things from China. No charges for items under 1500B including shipping. Three or 4 times, I had to pick-up the package from EMS, and pay the VAT, even though the total price including shipping was only 1200-1300B. When I queried it, I was told that they could send it back to Bangkok, but it probably wouldn't come back. Yes, it was Pattaya! Where else!

One of my mates has an honorary degree. Knowing him, like I do, I've always thought it as a degree for talking bo&&ocks.