andux

1 hour ago, Airalee said:

You can rent very nice apartments in Da Nang Vietnam for less than ฿10,000.  The best place to look for any city in Vietnam is by joining a Facebook group for rentals in whatever city you might happen to be interested in and then posting what you are looking for, location, price etc etc and you will have a dozen agents responding within a day.  ฿30,000 will get you extreme luxury 2-3 bedroom houses.  Online websites are not the places to look and the prices will be a lot more than when you post in Facebook groups.

 

I looked on Airbnb also and am glad I went the Facebook route.

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.

58 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

Another tax question so another new thread, what's wrong with asking your question in any of the over twenty existing tax threads?

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?"

4 hours ago, mogandave said:

I’ve been here full time since 2000, and retired about five years ago. 

 

I only had to start taking care of my visa since I retired, but in that time it does not seem like it has gotten any more difficult, seems a bit easier each time. 

 

I think you can start a business here, depending on what it is. I came here to set up manufacturing business and it’s still successful after 24 years.

 

How old are you?

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.

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

These aren't things you should be worrying about. Maybe you're jaded with your life, you need different interests, social interaction and preferably exercise

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.

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

The only change in the 10 years I can see is your age. 

 

Don't let it worry you, it'll fine. 

 

You sound like a positive person, keep things positive. 

 

Do you have family here in Thailand, spend more time with family members if possible, steer clear of some of the foreigners, they'll bring you down. 

 

Yeah, the age thing really makes a difference 😆

Thanks for the encouraging words btw. 

2 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

So soapy massage and the like is still ok then? 

Isn't that the whole point of this scheme?

14 minutes ago, NJHOUSE said:

I moved at least 6 million baht to Thailand this year but because of Por No. 162 I will pay no taxes. If you have savings, make sure you download and save your year end statements ending Dec 31, 2023 for when the Revenue Department comes for you just in case.

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

1 hour ago, gargamon said:

So let's assume you were giving her an allowance and some of that was being sent to pay for the non-existent land. Who's the fool in that scenario?

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

3 hours ago, CashMoon said:

because of this law we have reduced the money we spend by 75%. we have decided to live in Vietnam. we are moving this month. this government even makes us miss the military junta.  by the way, all of my friends have drastically reduced their spending. everyone refuses to pay the unfair tax. if they insist on the tax, they will leave thailand. vietnam is a much cheaper country. it seems that vietnam will be the new destination for many people. 

 

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

3 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Nakhon Sawan very small expat network, but if do not need, then Nakhon Sawan is ok, except air quality. Kanchanaburi is good for living, but horrible air quality as well. 

 

Cha Am or Hua Hin 3 hours, is good, but some complain about airquality, I never experienced to bad air the 3 years I lived there.

 

Ao nang Krabi can be great, but rain season can be harshly 

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.).

3 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

went to city yesterday as usual to ride bike..

 

stopped at my mechanic--we joked and i chatted with his daughter while he did repairs..

 

walked to 7-11 to get a water...smiled at the somtam gals as i walked in--they smiled back

 

got my waves from usual massage gals sitting outside cat calling me as i see them daily

 

the little kids came out to say hello where i leave my mbike and lock up my bike for the night...

 

joked and chatted up the couple that sells me fruit every night on my way home....

 

depends where u look i suppose.....or maybe its just me 🙂

 

 

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.

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

I'm always amazed at how hard working folks spend their money on crap. Especially the wages Thais work for. All my years in US punching a time clock, I brought food and coffee from home, hardly ever, ever did I eat out. So, here in Thailand a guy making 500 baht a day spends 50 baht on lunch, that's 10%, to me that's stupid. The mentality of living life day to day is why so many Thais have nothing when they're old. Much the same as US I want to add.

 

Which is why it boggles my mind when a place like Starbucks is so popular. 

 

 

It's the same everywhere, but this behavior is necessary. We need people to work and consume, not to save their money.

45 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Does the "couple of hours" include lunch break.

Get a visa better option 

Very helpful. 

Getting a volunteer visa would also be a nice perk, but I'm interested in actually doing something for at least a couple hours a day.

I noticed that most volunteer visas are given by agencies and it's pretty obvious that the "volunteering" part doesn't really exist, or it's not really relevant.

How easy/hard is it for an orphanage or hospital to give a volunteer visa to a foreigner, assuming I cover all costs? Do they need to be part of a certain scheme in order to give volunteering work permits?

11 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

In my opinion, that ATM does not seem to be put there by any bank. Must be one of the third party machines. I would never trust an ATM that was  placed in such position.

I'm more concerned about the position of the fire extinguisher, against all guidelines...

On 11/23/2023 at 9:28 PM, OzzBlizz said:

 

I lost 50 brain cells just by seeing the video thumbnail.

9 minutes ago, BritTim said:

 

The wording of the school's letter, stating that you planned to stop and giving a future date, is exactly what you want. It means the permission to stay is terminated with effect later, giving you time to leave (or, for some people, have time to arrange a new extension).

Technically, it's not what I wanted though.

I completed the full course and since the ED visa is supposed to be for one year, I just left after both the course and my year were complete.

I can't quite wrap my head around the need for this. Aren't ED visas supposed to be for one year? Or are they actually endless and require a cancellation?

I mean, what happens if I don't cancel it? Can I keep extending it for years? It doesn't seem to be the case, so the logic here is a bit strange.

Thanks everyone for your answers.

I ended up doing the cancellation at immigration.

One thing that concerned me is that the letter from the school stated that it was my intention to cancel the visa, instead of stating that the studies had finished.

I am not sure if this is normal practice/irrelevant. 

1 hour ago, The Cyclist said:

 

Sure

 

Do you really think  $$$ 7 digit income people spend $5000 annually travelling to avoid a bit of a tax ?

 

BKK - London 1st class return on Emirates is $5000 in itself, then add on the extras.

 

Now, low $$$ double digit people I could understand slumming it to save a bit on tax.

Lots of fallacies and assumptions in your post, and you're avoiding the original argument. 

Let's get back to it: you said that it's impossible to spend $5k a year traveling because a 2-week trip already costs $5k.

My answer: it's possible to travel a few times a year and spend $5k. Rent apartments for 1-2 months and live like a local.

Whether the person doing that is a billionaire or a broke student is irrelevant. The fact remains.