persimmon

I think you are allowed to give away £ 3000 per year without any tax implications . Also , you can give away as much as you like as long as you do it regularly , make a note of it , and can prove it`s from excess income ( ie. you can afford to give it away without impacting on a reasonable lifestyle ). There are various ways of avoiding the worst of IHT , such as using trusts , but it`s all quite complicated , so best to consult an expert . You can give away as much as you like to anyone without paying any tax , as long as you survive a further 7 years .

re. capital gains tax - " cannot offset gains against losses " ...this seems unusual and quite detrimental for the investor - asymmetry of risk / reward .

Say you send money to the wife or GF . How will the tax dept. know whether this is income or just a gift . I assume gifts cannot be taxed , but who knows ?

One thing that bothers me about the E-Visa is having to buy the tickets before applying for the Visa - what happens if there`s a delay or some other problem and you don`t get the visa in time ? - It could mean £ 1000 + down the drain . So I`m wondering about using something like onwardflight instead . Possible ?

I think the max you could get on a 1 yr deposit is around 6 % , and that`s before tax . I get c . 5.25 % in a money market fund , but have to pay platform charges . Not that great a deal - still less than inflation .

That`s interesting - I thought you had to provide proof of ticket purchase when applying for the Visa , that was always a drawback for me , having to buy the ticket before being certain of getting the visa .

Whilst I don`t like this new tax idea , I can`t say I`m surprised . This idea that money transferred in is not taxed if it`s held back for 1 year looks like a huge loophole that the wealthy can use to avoid paying tax . It`s also a big incentive for the wealthy to avoid investment in Thailand and send their money abroad . Now , with large numbers of Russians and Chinese coming in , all with lots of income from abroad , maybe the revenue dept. realised they could be missing out on a huge amount of tax due .

Something else to ponder - for long staying tourists , go significantly over 180 days , and they may not let you leave until you have filed a tax return !

Anyone know if it`s possible for a Thai national to open an account with IB or Schwab ? I would have more confidence in a broker based in the US than in Thailand .

The shophouse - Thailand`s contribution to global architecture . It`s the same everywhere , developers build endless boring shophouses wherever there is a space and access to a road .

Tops supermarket , on the corner , Pattaya Glang , now gone . Wonder what will replace it ? Patts seems like a very dynamic environment , always lots of change and development . Central / Hilton seems successful , although I feel sorry for the independent food outlets - the food court in the basement must be taking away a lot of trade for them

Walked back from Big C last night with a load of shopping and Soi 6 was one huge water fight . Soi Buakow not too bad but certain bars were throwing water . As usual it is the Farangs who get aggressive and soak anybody and everybody . I was trying to stay out of it and just walk home with bags of shopping but got soaked anyway by some idiot Farang guy . The Thais usually know who is a participant and legitimate target , and who is just a passer by .

when comparing rates , I suppose if you checked several within one hour , that would be ok , but if you left it until the next day , then the comparisons would not be valid because rates are changing all the time .

I use their services in Udon , but do they have a branch in Patts ? TIA .

Some caution is needed when considering using short ETFs - most are only suitable for day trading or very short holding periods . Maybe compare the performance against the actual x rate and see if it matches . Personally , I can`t see the $ rate changing by such a huge amount , but if I really thought that would happen , I would sell all my $ assets and buy ROTW stuff ( UK , EU etc ) .

I see several posters have mentioned taking a copy of the TM 30 form along when applying . Is this really necessary now ? I have done quite a few extensions and never been asked for this .

Rising inflation and interest rates means many folks now have less disposable income . Eating out ( in particular the fancy , expensive end of the market ) is discretionary and easy to cut back on . Maybe those with low overheads will still be ok , such as the food cart vendors on the pavement selling 20 bt stuff . There`s a couple of good veg restaurants here in Udon where a good lunch can be had for around 40 bt . - they always sell out of food in the afternoon . I`m due a brief visit to Patts soon . the only decent veg place ( not Indian ) cost me over 200 bt last time , so I think I`ll make my own food and save a small fortune .

I have negotiated a discount ????

Anyone coming to Thailand looking for romance is in for a shock - IME it`s money , money , money . " Ordinary " or " good " girls are really no different to bar ladies , whether it be outrageous Sin Sot demands or support payments ....they are all looking for that Bt 20 k + per month . BTW this applies to Thai guys also , it`s not just a Farang thing .

I`ve come to the conclusion that the more foreigners a Thai has to deal with , the less friendly they become . Thais instinctively know how to act and show respect , contrast this with some ( not all ) foreigners who , for whatever reason ( cultural ? ) behave in a rude and aggressive way - spoils it for the rest of us .

I always admire the Thai ability to keep smiling despite adversity . We have a lady who works for us , still laughing and joking with the gf , even after a full day in the baking heat ( 39 degrees here ) . Sometimes I watch Thai Rat News Show where the police re-enact a crime with the culprit , both parties seem cheerful , despite the crim facing a long stretch behind bars . Last week on the Muay Thai channel ( 27 ) there was a match between a huge , mean looking Farang and a Thai fighter who seemed happy and smiling . The Farang guy only lasted a couple of rounds before before retiring with a smashed face . So , the Thai smile , can be so deceptive ...

I have Norton VPN ( free with Norton 360 ) . Tried it a month ago and it was ok , now it doesn`t work - I get the message " Your network provider is blocking VPN access " . Is this common in Thailand ?

We are often told to avoid eating too much salt , but how much is too much ? Here , I probably drink 2-3 times the amount of water that I do when back in the UK - does that mean I need 2-3 X the amount of salt ? A few years back I spent one very hot afternoon by the river in Kanchanaburi . I must have drunk 2 or 3 bottles of water , and remember feeling slightly odd ( more than usual ????) which I put down to too little salt ( and too much water ) . So , salt , is it something you worry about ?

Some very small shops and traders find it difficult when faced with a 1000 note . I usually go to a 7-11 to break a new 1000 - never a problem there .

Even the smaller hotels now ask for pp when checking in , and also when booking a long distance bus trip . I let them have a photo , not the real thing - always been accepted .