tangoll

How many of you expat US citizens file the US Treasury form due 1 June about bank or other security accounts that you control or have signature authority over, if account had at any time of the year over US$10K balance? It's required, but I wonder how many IRS filers actually file this Treasury form.

For transfers of condo units, the situation at the Land Dept office after 28 Mar 2009 is that:

1. Transfer fee stays at the reduced rate of 0.1% of declared value; this is the only rate that has been extended at the reduced level

2. Specific Business Tax reverts to the higher rate of 3.3% of declared value or assessed value as estimated by LD

3. Revenue tax is computed on the formula based on imputed years of ownership, which spans the number of calendar years owned; for example, if property

was purchased in Dec 2008, and sold and transferred again in Jan 2009, that's considered as two years for calculation purposes.

Roughly, for condo units of approx 5 mil baht as declared value, the tax/rates in total for transfers within one year is 4% and 3 years is 6%.

I don't know if calculations for land values are different.

There is also some exemption for Thai nationals who have used the property as their primary residence, but I do not know about that exemption.

I have no idea what the 4 documents provided by quiksilva say, as I am not Thai and don't read/write Thai. Maybe quiksilva knows.

Here is what my agent tells me the Land Dept office has been advised and what they will do:

1. Transfer fee stays at the reduced rate of 0.01% of the declared transaction value vs the former rate of 2% (this is the only extension of the reduced rates)

2. Specific Business Tax reverts to the pre-reduction rate of 3.3% (vs. the reduced rate of 0.11% which ended 27 Mar 2009)

3. Revenue tax calculation stays the same depending upon the number of years of imputed ownership and the corresponding rates used in the calculation.

The big hit is in the Specific Business Tax which goes back to 3.3% of the declared transaction value.

I had been advised by several people in the real estate business/industry that the reduced rates were extended for another full year, and the source was that they had heard it on the news, read about it in the newspapers, saw the announcement, etc., but until you got all the details, they basically were just talking off the top of their heads and speaking only in generalities.

That's two terminals in just gate D6; I don't know about other gates, as my flight had left only from that gate. I assume that there would be two terminals at every other gate as well. Taipei's airport also had free terminals for use, but this was in a corner with 5 - 6 terminals for the whole concourse, not per gate. KL IA also had 3 - 4 terminals scattered about, but access was so slow, it was not usable for email.

So, 2 terminals at each gate is quite unique in the world. Try airports in the US and see if there are any free of charge terminals for use or Europe, for that matter.

On the back of the APEC card is a list of countries that have pre-approved your visa for travel to that country. On my card, VN is not listed, so I would need a normal visa to go to VN. I haven't checked whether VN is one of the participating countries in this scheme.

shola, the Thai pp line is always faster than foreign passport lines. What you should ask immigration is whether your husband can queue with you in the Thai passport line. If your flight departure is around midnight, I think you have little to worry about, as I think all lines then would be quite sparse in the outbound immigration section. If the right side of departure hall is heavy with people, go to the left side. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you, unless your husband is on overstay. Then bring money, baht 500 per day, up to max baht 20,000.

As of 27th March, staff at Land Dept office has advised that they have not received any instructions to extend the reduced tax/rates on property transactions for another year, despite the various announcements that have been made in the news. So the next day, 28th March, the rates/tax will go back to pre-reduction levels.

Despite all comments that have been made, the only thing that really counts is what the Land Dept office will say and do. So does anyone else have a source or document that instructs the Land Dept to do differently?

APEC Business Travel Card: here's the link

<http://www.apec.org/apec/business_resources/apec_business_travel0.html>

Sunday 29 March 11:15 am, right hand side outbound immigration hall, had about 4 - 5 people in Thai passport lines (2), and about 15 people per foreign passport line, about 6 - 7 booths open for foreign passports.

I had my APEC travel card with me, and went thru 1st class, diplomatic, fast track line on the left part of the immigration hall, and I was only one through the line, 15 seconds, but then my flight was delayed an hour, so I had 3.5 hours wait.

I also noticed that in gate D6 there are now two new computer stands with keyboard/monitor/ball-type built-in mouse offering free internet access. That is something very unique in any airport in the world.

Hello, I have O + blood which I think is quite common amongst Asians, but how do we know if we have the subgroup para bombay that you need? The subgroup is not listed or mentioned in the US or HK blood bank card that I have. How do we check?

Any age limitation?

I will have a 61 sqm 1 bed / 1 bath condo which will be transferred to my name in mid-June. It's right on the BTS Thonglor station with a direct walkway to the station. I will furnish to the standard that they want with any furnishings that they wish, for a rental of 90,000 baht per month.

If interested, email me at <pcmar at netvigator dot com> or telephone in Bangkok next week 085-9977170.

I have heard that some UK insurers used "civil unrest" as the reason for excluding coverage in their policies. It would be a useful exercise for some consumer agency to do a comparison of how various travel insurance policies would handle typical scenarios or an actual case like the Bangkok airport stoppage. I'm sure the results would vary all over the map.

I can answer your question about applying for APEC travel card as a HK SAR passport holder. If the person is working for a obviously multinational or regional corporation, it may be quick, but if the employer company you are using is a small or something like a nominee company, it may take some time. It took 15 months for me to get my APEC card. My main purpose to get the card was the ability to use special immigration lanes at the airport, but now with reduced tourist arrivals, the regular lanes late in the evening are just as quick, so I'm not sure what value the APEC card has for me. I don't need to stay 90 days at a time; only 10 days or so is plenty enough.

If you have sold your condo, the process to transfer out the entire transaction amount is quite easy and straightforward at Bangkok Bank. You need:

1. Filled out funds export remittance application, from Bangkok Bank

2. your passport and your Bangkok Bank account details or book.

3. copy of chanote (title document), front and back side, after the transfer at Land Dept office

4. the transaction document issued by Land Dept office accompanying the chanote

5. the original of tax payment receipt, blue copy document, issued by Land Dept office

That's basically it. Most people think the copy of the Foreign Exchange Transaction Form is necessary, but the folks at Bangkok Bank, Headquarters Building, 2nd floor Funds export remittance department, didn't even look at the FETF that I had brought along. There is also a form from the Bank of Thailand that the staff prepares for you and you have to sign.

The amount you can export out is the amount declared on the transaction document and on which the tax/fees were paid.

This assumes the chanote had been in your sole name, and that you are not a Thai national. If not, I'm not sure what the situation would be.

I have done this twice, so you can be sure of this procedure, unless it has been changed within the last 6 months.

An Allianz Travel Insurance policy that I had purchased for a one year period last May, paid me about US$450 for travel delay, rebooking fees, and other cancellation fees when I got caught up in Bangkok and could not continue my travel to USA and back to BKK before returning to HKG. What is interesting is that the actual interpretaation of the policy terms as to what is covered comes out very differently than what the terms and conditions appear to suggest upon a first or even close reading of the terms. This is not only from my reading, but also the reading and interpretation from the insurance brokers and from the Allianz staff that I first contacted upon knowing of the airport closure. Neither the broker nor the staff were helpful in suggesting ways to get to the USA and have those ways covered by the policy. Basically, the broker nor the staff really knows what's in the policy.

The only thing I really learned from the experience is that if you are going on an extended trip, bring the policy with you. It helps in the discussion with the broker or staff because unless you have the policy right there with you, only then can you have a meaningful discussion with them.

Thonglor or Sukhumvit in the mid-20's might fit your requirements. If you wish to purchase, you can contact me by email <pcmar at netvigator dot com>. I have a unit on Sukhumvit soi 26, 1 bed /1 bath, 51.77 sqm that would fit your needs perfectly. Thonglor would be about 30 - 40% more expensive, for new condo units.

Chivo, thanks for the suggestion, but I don't fancy driving from Suwanna to Sukhumvit/Rama 4 in the middle of the night, which is when my flight from Hong Kong usually arrives to BKK. I think I'll just stick with taxis to/from airport for the time being until the new rail operates from near Phayathai BTS.

Right after moving into my condo, I went out and saw all these motosai taxis right by the curb, so I asked them, "Bai BTS tao rai? (Go to BTS, how much). One of the guys says, "20 baht". So off we go, and since then, each time I've used the motosai taxi, I paid 20 baht.

But then, I started to notice that when the local guys and girls got off the motosai bikes at the BTS, and they paid with a 20 baht note, they got back change, a 10 baht coin.

So I just stopped using the motosai taxis and just walked the 500 meters to the BTS, no matter the weather or if I had to rush or what not.

All in all, I think the solution is just to find a decent car rental agency and rent a car for the 7 days or so that I am in Bangkok. I'll try that later this month when I am there.

Can anyone recommend a reliable agency with economical rates and decent cars -- just a simple get-around car would be sufficient, even manual transmission if the price is good. I don't need a fancy car, just air conditioning, starts, moves and stops.

Thanks for all the comments here. Yes, I think the hassle of owning and driving a car in BKK isn't worth the convenience of the few times that I will use the car. I will investigate renting a car for the one week a month that I'm there and see how it goes.

I have parking at the condo where I live, so that's not a problem, and I know the roads in BKK reasonable well.

I do speak enough Thai to be able to tell the taxi drivers where exactly I need to go, but it's just annoying that you have to ask the taxi driver if they want to take you. In Hong Kong, you can report to the police about any taxi driver that refuses a fare, and the driver will get investigated and if found guilty, fined.

I am in Bangkok about 7 - 10 days each month, have my own condo which is about 500 meters from Phrom Phong BTS station. I don't have a car in Bangkok and just use the BTS and taxis now and then, and to tell the truth, I'm getting tired of walking to and from the BTS to condo, and when taking a taxi, having to ask the taxi driver if he wants to take me where I want to go before getting in. I just hate doing that, or having to negotiate a fare from the airport to the condo.

I'm thinking of getting a car and have it available for use when I'm in Bangkok. Is anyone here in somewhat the same situation, and if so, what problems have you encountered from not using the car for 3 weeks or so at a stretch? Battery always going dead, breakage, hassles in getting the car registered in your name? I come on visa exempt status and don't have a work permit or anything like that. I would only be driving on an international license issued from Hong Kong. Any difficulty in getting insurance? I'm 68 years old, and have my condo insurance with Bangkok Insurance Co., so they know me well. Traffic in Bangkok won't bother me all that much, because time is the one thing I have plenty of, and I'm usually not pressed to be at any one place at any specific time.

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

I've done transfer at the Land Dept office six times for purchase of condo in Bangkok, and my passport has never had a visa in it; only the visa exempt stamp for permission to stay in Thailand until xxx date. Don't know what would happen if you've overstayed your permitted date of stay, though, whether the Land Dept office would object to do the transfer or not. But you better bring along a trusted ally who speaks and reads Thai to help you when you go to the LD office, and bring sufficient cash or funds to pay the tax and fees due upon transfer.

My Orange/True prepaid Sim card-- if purchase a 1,000 baht top-up card which you add onto your balance, the validity of card gets extended six months, and if 500 baht top-up validity is extended 3 months. Maximum validity is one year for card from date you add on the top-up. So it's best to check on your balance remaining and expiry date of sim card, and top-up when close to zero balance and/or expiry date.

Totster, in Hong Kong, receiving calls get minutes charged to your monthly allotment, I believe. Certainly this is so if on int'l roaming. I assume this is also case in Thailand, but I'm not exactly sure. Whatever, the amounts involved are minimal.

Whenever I get nuisance or sales calls, I tell the caller, "Please hang on a minute, I have to finish doing something, don't hang up..." then I lay the phone down without hanging up, and just walk away. A minute or so later, the caller will tire of waiting and will hang up on their own. Not bad if it's a land line, but if on your mobile, then you also get units/baht eaten up.

Shabu shabu or sukiyaki -- at Niku's, Emporium Mall, 5th floor towards the back beyond Burger King. Lunch special sets baht 169 for pork shabu shabu, to baht 199 for beef sukiyaki, but after adding a coke plus service charge/tax, the 169 baht comes to about 250 baht. Ingredients very fresh. Daily from 10 am to 4 pm for the lunch specials. Good value if you enjoy shabu shabu or sukiyaki. Regular dinner menu not that good a deal, about 400 baht for buffet sukiyaki.