andux

Yes, I agree that you can find much better deals than 30,000 baht a month on Facebook, and also on Airbnb. I actually overestimated the cost for the sake of argument, and to put an upper limit on the calculations. In reality, it ends up being much less than that. If you search on Airbnb you can find very good stuff in Da Nang for ~15,000 baht a month. Still more expensive than looking on Facebook, but I like the convenience of doing it all in a minute, quickly filter by the things I want, location, reading the reviews, etc. (yes, I know, that convenience and laziness has a little additional cost 🙂 ).

You can rent very nice, modern apartments in Malaysia, Vietnam, etc. on Airbnb for less than 30,000 baht a month. So the additional cost should be less than 200,000 baht a year if one spends half the time in those countries. One can even add to the mix other relatively low-cost places in Eastern Europe, Southern Spain, or South America, though in those cases the flights will be obviously more expensive than jumping to Kuala Lumpur for 2k baht. Basically: a little bit less than 6 months in Thailand (preferably from August to February to avoid the smoke season), 3-4 months in other low-cost countries (SEA if you want to stretch those baht even further or have a girlfriend in Thailand and want to fly her over often), and a couple of months in one's home country/traveling. But this is all based on speculation of what may happen. There is no worldwide tax yet, and for all we know it could even be beneficial with tax treaties in place, a revamp of the income tax brackets, etc. It is a good idea to plan ahead though.

It's a pretty good deal, but I'm surprised that no one is really talking about it. I guess people don't care much about Thai Elite anymore, considering that the DTV visa exists. Maybe Thai Elite needs a "new" 10-year visa, at the old prices or close. Throw in there an annual health checkup and a couple of golf days a year and things could get interesting.

Thanks for asking. It's a question about a particular topic, so in order to keep the forum organized it's better to open new threads about specific situations. This way, on this thread we can talk about foreign dividends and their taxation when remitted into Thailand. This will make it easier for people with the same inquiry in the future to find the topic, discuss it, or even find an answer to it in here, even years down the road. Navigating generic threads of hundreds of pages with people taking about different things is way less efficient. I hope that this answers your question. Also, let me know if you have any information related to the original question so that the thread is not derailed. Thanks 😊

For many years my US dividends paid tax at source (automatically withheld at 30%), and then I transferred them to Thailand during the next fiscal year. Easy. Now, how will this work with the new tax rules? Would the RD consider this as income that already paid tax in full abroad and so there is no tax due in Thailand? Or should one use tax treaties to be withheld 15% at source and pay the remaining 15% on the portion that is remitted to Thailand? Seems complicated to do; I'm not sure if foreigners without a job in Thailand can get access to tax treaties, just because of staying over 6 months. It also makes me wonder if one could get in trouble with the IRS, since it's possible to be withheld 15% in the US and then not remit anything to Thailand, or remit income from other sources, such as capital gains, to pay less tax. I guess that I should meet with a tax advisor, or go ask at the RD directly, but asking here first in case anyone is in a similar situation.

Reminds me of a guy who, one afternoon while walking down a street of ill repute, approached a young working woman and offered her 200 baht for short time. The girl refused, saying, "It's 1,500 baht, darling." The man insisted, "You can do it for 200 baht; come on!" But, again, she denied his request. After a few more attempts by the man to pay only 200 baht, she got fed up, raised her voice, and said, "Leave me alone; it is not 200 baht. Go away!" So, the man walked away and, after a block or two, bumped into his wife, who was out shopping. "What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded. "Nothing, just taking a stroll," he replied. "You are so lazy! Let's go back home," she snapped, grabbing his arm and pulling him along. As they walked back together, they ran into the prostitute he had encountered earlier. She looked at them, amused, and laughed as she said to the man, "See what you get for 200 baht?"

Late 30s. Yes, I know you can set up a business, but it's not that straightforward as a foreigner, and, like you said, it depends on the industry. It's good to know that the visa situation has gotten easier throughout time though. Maybe I should try my luck with the DTV visa next year, and buy myself 5 years of relative peace of mind. I do a lot of exercise, but I agree with the new interests and social life part. All my social circles kinda broke during COVID, including lots of friends who went home and never came back (both foreigners and Thais who went back to their provinces). So maybe I need to join some new activities and start new social circles. Yeah, the age thing really makes a difference 😆 Thanks for the encouraging words btw.

I've been here for around 10 years. The first 8 were great, these last 2 I've been a bit lost. I have become increasingly worried about the lack of stability, the visa situation, and other restrictions like the inability to start a business. I'm starting to get annoyed by 90-day reports, extensions, re-entry permits, etc. and the overall inability to make proper long-term plans. Yes, I know, I'm getting old 😆. On the other hand, my life here is probably much better than it could be anywhere else, especially in terms of quality/cost ratio. Very safe overall too; I don't know too many places in the West where one can go for a stroll at 3am, leave phones on coffee shop tables unattended, etc. Plus a thousand other things that I love about this country. If I moved to my home country I could enjoy more stability, freedom, and rights (and could even continue speaking Thai often since many Thai people own shops there), but at the same time I'd spend much more money on living costs and wouldn't enjoy the same level of safety --generally speaking. So, I'm having a hard time figuring out what would be better for me in the long run. I'm wondering if anyone here has had a similar phase at some point, especially those of you who have been here for decades. I'd love to hear about others' experiences in this regard. Thanks 😊

Isn't that the whole point of this scheme?

Why would you move 6m baht into Thailand?? That's like a century of living expenses.

Legend says OP can still hear, "Tee rak... I need more allowance for my land."

Vietnam has much higher taxes, the move doesn't make sense unless it's for other reasons.

Actually I don't want a big expat network, since I can easily have that when traveling to Bangkok/Chiang Mai or when I go back home. Too many expats = too many signs in English 😆 @Blue Muton Thanks for those suggestions. Nakhon Sawan looks good, and so does Sing Buri. I've also been looking at Phitsanulok. A bit further but has an aiport and it's a one hour flight to Bangkok. Has anyone been or lived there?

Some of the things I'm looking for: * 1-2 hours from Bangkok * English not widely spoken (I prefer full immersion, none to very few signs in English, etc.) * Decent general ammenities like a few good places to eat, a gym or two, some coffee place * Decent condos or apartments to rent/buy I'm looking for something like Chanthaburi but smaller... Or like Phayao but closer to Bangkok and without the burning season 😁 Getting old and just want to chill, mostly. But I want to stay close to Bangkok for convenience (trips back home, the odd party night, etc.).

Cool story but notice that in my post I refer to strangers many times to make it clear, not people you already know. I have the same good experiences with non-strangers. Basically, the observation is that strangers seem less friendly/happy overall and less likely to be friendly nowadays.