Mark123456

Just now, LivinLOS said:

The OP does not seem to be aware they are going to break the law.. They also seem unaware of thier tax obligations in the idea they are attempting as a lifestyle choice. 

 

When someone posts something where they may unintentionally fall foul of Thai law its best to advise them of it, and be very clear what the law is (as you can see many posters are confused and outright wrong on the laws for freelancers) and how to comply with it (very easy using BOI registered umbrella companies). 

 

Also, as a prospective immigrant to a new country, it only seems fair to at least have the intention to be a good citizen, to honor the social contract, to pay our dues as the law demands, etc.. Dont Thai children need to go to schools ?? Does Thailand not need to provide services and infrastructure ??  Very neo colonial to simply think that because its too poor to properly enforce its rules, in fear of threatening it vital tourism industry, that we can with knowledge and forethought make plans to come and abuse that hospitality no ?? Westerners seem so very up in arms about immigrants arriving to the west who break our laws, but the attitude is we can just go to poor countries and abuse theirs but that's fine ??

Take a look at income tax rates here, then compare them to import duty rates. If you think a foreigner who doesn't pay tax on his income is not contributing to government coffers, you are misguided (in my humble opinion). Personally, I wouldn't send my child to a government school so that's a non-issue. Services and infrastructure? Haven't noticed much in the way of those here, apart from the ones that we have to pay for. It seems to me that you have a bee in your bonnet about this particular subject, which is why you chose to bring it up several times in a thread started by a poster who asked no questions about work permits/taxation/visa classes.

I think you're veering wildly off topic now but I always welcomed immigrants to the UK - they are a net economic benefit to the country and without them, the current system would eventually collapse. As an ex resident of London, I enjoyed the cosmopolitan nature of the city and it's something I now miss.

On 2/8/2017 at 7:13 AM, Thaiwrath said:

This can be substituted with the word SLAPPERS.

That's a very enlightened attitude. How did you come to that conclusion?

7 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

 

That isnt the law.. Get them to put it in writing and watch them squirm. 

 

What you can get away without being caught for and what the law is are not the same. Work permits also integrate with taxation, or is it simply the plan to never pay Thai income tax despite living here full time and it being mandated. 

 

As per the official from the labor offices posted in the links I provide above.. a 100% online enterprise with no Thai clients needs a work permit.. Even uploading a youtube video or a blog comment, to an adsense enabled or monetized blog, needs a work permit. 

The OP doesn't even ask any questions about the legality of working here so it's not really relevant is it? In my experience, the only people who seem to care about foreigners working online in Thailand for overseas clients are posters on this forum. That's not meant to be an inflammatory comment: it's the literal truth.

6 hours ago, flupke said:

Mae Sai border run confirmation .

 

just got 30 day stamp coming back from Tachilec  Myanmar  , no questions asked , no problems 

Do you mind me asking how many visas/stamps you have in your passport already for Thailand? I'm planning to try to get 30 days at Mae Sai tomorrow and although I haven't made a visa-exempt entry in the last 2 or 3 years, my passport is basically full (just 2 pages left blank) of entries and exits to Thailand, several tourist visas from Vientiane, one from Glasgow, a multi-non imm 'o' from Hull etcetera so I'm a bit worried I might run into trouble.

I was originally going to apply to convert my existing tourist visa (which I've extended twice) to a non-imm 'o' at Chiang Mai immigration (as I recently got married) but I was told I needed 21 days left on the extension and I only had 17 (despite info online stating that 15 days is good enough)....

3 minutes ago, Shawn0000 said:

 

Its actually the kind of logic someone uses when they would rather see the attraction then protest against a sytem they don't actually disagree with anyway.  I happily pay the little extra and I get to see the most incredible bits of Thailand, your loss not theirs, trust me.

I don't think you understand what I'm saying. You seem to think that one person refusing to pay is not going to affect the tourist attractions in question; I'm merely pointing out that it's not just one person and it may well affect them in the long run. What you choose to do with your money is of course your own business but I've seen some of the tourist attractions that practise double pricing and trust me, I'm quite sure I'm not missing out on anything. It's a big old world and there are plenty of other places to visit outside of this country.

2 minutes ago, Shawn0000 said:

 

Ultimately, Thailand will not feel the loss from you choosing not to visit one of the tourist attractions with dual pricing, but you might.

That's the kind of logic people use when they can't be bothered to vote - what difference will one vote make anyway? In this case, there are many of us avoiding tourist attractions that practise double pricing, not just AlexRich so they might feel the loss eventually.

1 hour ago, Canceraid said:

There is nothing to get angry about dual-pricing, instead what we foreigners should do is to react to it in a subtle manner ie avoid all places that practice dual-pricing and inform all your relatives and friends and also your media back home to ask people to avoid these places. Lobby your politicans back home to also put into place dual pricings policies only for thai people visiting there and also to lobby your governmenta nd media to stop assiting thailand in any way be it investments etc as they the thais practice dual -pricing and racism. Avoid all thai products back home and urge others and the media back home to support these moves. Never impart know=how or knowledge to thais and when there is such a need , practice dual pricings. Lobby all the pharmaceutical companies to sue companies in Thailadn making generic medicine and whn selling selling such medicine to thailand, sell it at very high exorbitant prices. etc etc

Sue companies for making generic medicine - how exactly is that going to work? There is nothing illegal about producing generic versions of drugs once the patent has expired: companies all over the world do it, it's how the industry works.

4 hours ago, al007 said:

 

Yes primarily I mean the officers personally

 

My observation, on your comment we do not get a very good deal and can not own property

I would question then why you came here, I do not think the rules have been changed on you

 

I have to consider the overall package, I live with my Thai wife and "WE' own our property

 

Taxation for retirees especially non US citizens is extremely advantageous, as I no longer pay UK taxes totally legally

 

Inheritance  Tax so long as very careful, and well documented as non domiciled NO UK IHT

 

My standard of living in a warm climate, is so far ahead of what I could afford in the UK, we even have two full time helpers in the house and gardens

 

No Car tax, No TV license, Cheaper car insurance, No property tax No large winter heating bills, Lower clothing costs, on the other side NO free medical, 

 

Its a package may I suggest, and even then the personalities in immigration, do not write the rules, they only implement them

 

My twopence worth, AND YES I AM VERY HAPPY HERE, nearly ten years and so far so good, (despite hospitals missing signs of TWO different cancers for a couple of years)

What do you mean no car tax - what is that disc I have to pay for every year then?

1 hour ago, Rhys said:

Were you smoking one of those electronic devices... I think they outlawed that..

 

 

I think it's only illegal to sell those in Thailand, not to use them.

On 1/11/2017 at 4:25 PM, NancyL said:

Your wait time at Imm. for your passport to be returned probably would have been less than the time it takes to drive round trip to and from beautiful Mae Rim to Prom.  Besides, you could pass the time @Prom with a nice meal and a movie and show some support of legitimate businesses.  The money you would have saved with DIY would have paid for a nice day @Prom.

 

Easier on the environment, too.

A nice day at Promenada? Some of us probably have better things to do than to hang around in dying shopping malls.

On 1/11/2017 at 3:48 PM, 12DrinkMore said:

 

Infrastructure, government, law and order, hospitals.

 

I realise that there will be a few sceptics deriding this list, but on the whole I reckon that most foreigners get an excellent deal out of what tax they pay. Most only pay VAT on goods and services.

 

Basically the country runs quite well, steady economic growth, mostly smiles and friendly people and compared to Europe a solid banking system.

VAT and a hefty chunk of import tax unless you limit yourself to locally produced goods. Many of us pay private hospital fees so we derive no benefits as far as medical care is concerned, and yes, I am tempted to deride the infrastructure and law and order components that you mentioned.

I can't comment on whether buses and trains will run on time but assuming you get to the embassy by around 11am, you should have no problems.I did this in April and September of last year and both times there were no more than 2-3 other people handing in their visa applications. It doesn't matter how many people are applying for visas on Monday as they will all be gone by midday and you will pick up your passport at 13.30.

On 1/4/2017 at 3:48 PM, Kate33 said:

 

Thanks for your help. Im going back to the UK in March 2017 (3 months time) and im worried i'll be cutting it fine, but i will try and get it done before i leave. 

 

Thanks again

Kate

My friend renewed his British passport in Bangkok a couple of months ago and it only took 12 days so I think you have plenty of time (agencies that hand in applications for people who do not live in Bangkok are quoting guaranteed 28-day turnarounds).

On 12/27/2016 at 8:53 AM, sfokevin said:

Such is Thailand...

 

One can go to Loy Kroh Rd and find any number of pretty ladies or wander up the street and find a much discounted model sauntering along the moat... 

 

Same Same... 

So even in a thread about ketchup, we have to bring prostitutes into the conversation? Well done for perpetuating the stereotype.

14 hours ago, godblessemall said:

Started visiting Chiangmai in 1989 and it was even better then.

First Tuk-Tuks only just arriving. In the old city many little sois had earthenware water pots with a coconut ladle outside many houses on special stands for passersby to drink from. No Starbucks. No Pizza Company (just Pizza Hut). Three Tantraphan stores. No Gard Suan Gaew. Lai Thai guest house just opened (very nice). Nimanhemun area completely undeveloped and had something called 'The Housewives Club"  

Was told by Thai men that to be able to claim to have visited ChiangMai (for Thais, not really farangs) one had to have done three things....1. eat Kao Soi (egg noodle curry soup) (delicious); 2. visit the temple on Doi Suthep (still popular and worth it); 3. visit (and partake of) Kampang Din.... Kampang Din means earth wall and refers to the old walls of the ancient city which were brick and earth construction. I know they are all about and in ruins in many parts of CM, but they were actually referring to only one place, the road beside the night market still called kampangdin road, particularly  the part South of the Imperial Mae Ping hotel, which at that time was still home to many brothels. (as we know Thai men when given the opportunity to travel away from home often enjoy the local delights on offer, and even if not single, once more than 50 km. from home consider themselves single again.)

Chiangmai is such an easy town to learn ones way about, because of the square old city and its contra-rotating traffic flow, Thapae gate/road, Narawat bridge, Ping river etc.

Chiangmai in the '90's was full of backpackers and trekking agencies with many hill=tribes still undeveloped to visit. In 1990 there was still only one real secondhand bookshop, right beside John's Place, which was still the biggest Go-Go bar then.

 

I still like to visit Changer's, but it isn't the 'Flower of the North' it was. Then again, change is the only thing one can guarantee in this world. We wear this body like a suit of armour, and peer out of it through two holes at the world around us, not feeling that we inside have changed with time, but those outside looking at us know different.

 

I would still rather live in CM than BKK given the choice.... how about you?

 

Nice post but I can't believe you have the audacity to say this: "as we know Thai men when given the opportunity to travel away from home often enjoy the local delights on offer, and even if not single, once more than 50 km. from home consider themselves single again". Of all the people I have met in Thailand, white, older, Western males have been by far the most enthusiastic about partaking in the delights of the flesh with ladies of the night. I'd almost go so far as to say it is a defining quality of Western males in Thailand.

I didn't come to Chiang Mai until 2006 and it was as boring as hell then so I would hate to have lived here 5, 10, 15, or 20 years before that. The traffic seems to have got worse since I've been here and more malls have sprung up of course but the main change has been that I don't go out drinking anymore, which radically changes one's perspective of any city. It's still an inconvenient place to live if you want to buy electronic equipment, musical instruments, or pretty much anything you care to mention really, but my brief visits to Bangkok have convinced me that I'm extremely unlikely to ever move back to the capital again; the traffic is simply too much for me these days. In Chiang Mai, I shop online, spend time with my family, and do my best to ignore the idiocy all around me (that's the human race in general not specific to people in this city or this country).

On 11/22/2016 at 9:33 PM, Sandy Freckle said:

Well all I can say is this place was highly recommended by a regular..., so we tried Salad Terrace because we wanted a quality salad based meal...., and that's exactly what we got..., so yes, we were very impressed by the quality of the salads we had..., I have a bit of an understanding about what quality vegetables are and are not..., and so in my personal opinion I've not seen this kind of quality in many places in LOS over the years. 

Your dish looks fine. I was only commenting on mine and I've only been there the once.

I went there on Saturday and wasn't very impressed. Quite a bland pumpkin soup and grilled aubergine that had a similar consistency to shoe leather.

On 11/21/2016 at 3:28 AM, Bonobojt said:

whatever nutrition it has, it comes with too much baggage, trans fat and cholesterol, its acidic, hard to digest, meat should be a side dish every now and then, maybe a few times a month, organic local meat, not a problem, but most people eat meat 2 or 3 times a day, and the meat is not organic, its mostly factory farmed animals with antibiotics in them to keep up with the high demand. If you eat too much sick animals, if you consume death on a daily basis, including cows milk, butter and eggs then your health will pay the price some day,  just look on this forum, all these guys with cancer.

 

also meat is number 1 contributor to climate change, watch Cowspiracy documentary, our high demand for meat is killing humans and the planet.  

There is very little trans fat contained in lean meat and it is naturally occurring as opposed to the manufactured trans fats found in processed foods. Since there have been no studies large enough to determine any negative effects of consuming these naturally-occurring trans fats, anybody claiming they are bad for your health would be stating an opinion not fact. Using phrases such as "consuming death" clearly shows you have an agenda here and are more interested in foisting your opinions on others than discussing scientific facts.

12 hours ago, Jonmarleesco said:

Given Thais' love affair with them, I don't suppose I should be surprised that the PHM has an 'allowable .limit' for antibiotics, even in food

Don't be ridiculous; there are allowable limits for antibiotic residues in all countries with regulated food industries, not just Thailand. That means Americans must have a love affair with antibiotics and Europeans too, by your way of thinking...

2 minutes ago, jerojero said:

Scenery leisure returning to normal. 555 Sure, no live bands, closures at midnight. Definitely normal... 555

What are you talking about? There are live bands playing again.

On 15/11/2016 at 10:20 AM, fruitman said:

 

It's not from one year to another, it's already happening since a few years now. There are no western tourists, guess why?

 

The baht is too strong, the airport tax is high, the atm-fee is very high, the scamming continues, the roadsafety is not improved at all, thailand is not considered a safe destination and has negativ traveladvice, there is a bombthread in Thailand at touristic spots....need some more reasons?

Would you care to back that wild claim with some official figures? There are no Western tourists in Thailand?

This is from a 2016 TAT report:

Europe: European visitors grew by 8.89% to 2.52 million. Russia retained its status as the largest source market with arrivals of 443,346, up 15.25%. The UK was next with arrivals of 369,671, up 10.12%, followed by Germany 345,095, up 8.33% and France 321,087, up 9.61%.

Arrivals also grew from Spain (+13.99%), Sweden (+10.29%), Italy (+8.73%), Netherlands (+8.33%), and Ireland (+7.50%).

The Americas: Arrivals from the Americas were up 13.76% to 502,627. The main market, the USA, up by 14.26% to 337,243. Arrivals from Canada were up 6.39%. Showing considerable promise are the Latin American markets; such as, Argentina (+66.58%).

Fabricating facts and posting them on Internet forums in an attempt to justify misguided opinions is a contemptible practice at best.

1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

You mean the 90% of us?

Yes I do.

7 hours ago, Grubster said:

I have always thought that Hollywood movies that have to show a 10 minute sex scene as opposed to just showing them head for the bedroom is just testimony that the producer is not capable of a good storyline. Like we don't know what happens in the bedroom. Its very hard to find a movie to watch with your young kids. We all seem to put too much value on external beauty, and not nearly enough on internal beauty. I think the fact that rape has not been romanticized in western countries hasn't slowed rape down much, makes me wonder which is worse showing the sex [ west] or implying the rape [ Thai ] without showing the nude scene.

Internal beauty? Isn't that just something that was made up by ugly people?

4 hours ago, Bonobojt said:

I wasn't attacking him, simply was saying I'm happy to be vegetarian and wouldn't want to eat meat from a sick animal.

 

if I was attacking him then he was attacking me for eating vegetables with pesticides

I'll admit when I first went vegetarian or vegan, I did became one of those annoying vegans but now I'm laid back about it all, all my friends eat meat, its just the way it is in our society and life is too short to moan or complain about it all the time, I will eat with friends and they can if meat if they like, doesn't bother me.

 

 

I wasn't attacking you. I was simply pointing out that even so-called organically-grown vegetables in Thailand have been found to contain dangerous levels of pesticide so being a vegetarian is no guarantee you will not be subjected to unwanted chemicals in your daily meals. Also, your choice of wording, which you have repeated again, "eating meat from a sick animal" is misleading and deliberately inflammatory. You say that people eating meat doesn't bother you but it clearly does. Lastly, the minerals that you believe to be present in the vegetables you eat may not be present in the quantities you have been led to believe, due to over-farming. These minerals come from the soil in which vegetables are grown and have been depleted to a large extent due to intensive farming methods across the globe.

I'd rather eat neither if I had a choice. Vegetables contaminated with pesticide sound no more appealing than chicken with antibiotics. Incidentally, the antibiotics are normally used as a preventative measure: claiming they are sick animals being kept alive long enough to grow is overdramatising the actual facts.