Kalasin Jo

My sympathies for your situation. I thought like you do but last year discovered you can send money out of Thailand and do it all online. If you have a Bangkok Bank account and online banking with them you can by registering with their International Transfers. There is also Dee Money which seems to be the Thai version of Wise. I've used both to send to UK bank account, admittedly for relatively small amounts per transfer, 10s and 100s of thousands not millions.

Every day. At home, out in restaurants, even cook the dishes myself as well as buy " take away" in local markets. Rarely been ill, never seriously from eating Thai food. I do though avoid chicken feet, BBQ rat and frog. Available uncooked in local markets. Rats always deceased and split open. Frogs always still jumping.

Or where the body is buried in RTP reconstructions showing on Amarin TV

I guess the question here is just how much interest the TRD will exhibit regarding expat retirees turning up at their local office asking what they have to do. Will it be similar to Immigration where each office(er) interprets regulations differently? I'm of the view that this change is aimed at Thais who offshore their wealth who have been getting a remarkable deal. That doesn't mean it should be ignored by expat retirees. As with most countries the obligation to establish whether you should be filing a tax return here each year if you are not automatically in the system through employment is on the individual not on the TRD. A little while back I read in an article that just over (or it could have said just under ) half the working age population in Thailand are not in regular gainful employment but work for others on a casual hourly or daily cash in hand or benefit in kind basis or for themselves by making or growing to sell for cash in the local markets. No records of such transactions. That's certainly how it is round here and there is a marked difference between those who do this, as I call it daily hand to mouth existence, and the local shops which increasingly now record all transactions and give till receipts, and increasing use of payment apps and QR codes. I've started to notice that even a few of the small local market vendors have QR payment set up.

Glad you have it all sorted

Do you mean the tax bands apply to much lower levels of income?

Do they? A pre requirement of the the EU (Schengen area) tourist or spouse visa is a valid insurance policy covering the period of stay. Many insurers offer online policies that meet the requirements for a reasonable premium.

Me too. But no one has yet fallen seriously ill or died in my Thai family from this habit. Cooked food, including rice , often sits out until the following afternoon. If no one has eaten it by the evening it goes to the dogs. My wife does a sniff test, especially with rice. They think I'm weird either bagging it or covering with clung film and putting in the fridge.

You are right. And with governments becoming more far right they will start to pit the paying in workers against the drawing out pensioner population. I seem to recall one UK PM was reported during Covid when the elderly were at greater risk and the largest cohort of those becoming seriously ill as saying just let them die. Many Brits now of state pension age believed and still do that their National Insurance contributions were " buying" their future state pensions, NHS healthcare and a place in state care homes. I believe the founder of the British Welfare State, Nye Bevan, put it that way. But for years now the UK government line and in opposition that of the Labour Party too has been that the workers contributions are going towards state support for the current pensioner cohort not their future needs in old age and further more that the state pension is a benefit. Like other benefits available in the UK which for some time have been shrinking in terms of both value and eligibility, a benefit can be withdrawn, reduced or tinkered with. And it's been happening as the State Pension eligibility age and the number if qualifying years worked in the UK has been increased. Is it any wonder that the UK refuses to unfreeze the pensions it pays to eligible British pensioners living overseas? The frozen pension situation is a lottery for expats depending on where that pensioner is living. Live in most countries, but not all, it is frozen at the annual amount being paid when you moved abroad. For example living in Thailand and it is frozen, living in the Philippines and you get the same increase annually as those living in the UK, live in Canada and it is frozen, live in the USA it is not. For where and why a Google search gives information on this and on the now numerous campaigns to unfreeze it for all. Currently around 500,000 British State pensioners living outside the UK, around 3.5% of all British state pensioners, have frozen pensions some at now pitifully low amounts ( if you thought the current amount adequate). It's also the case that if you worked outside the UK for most of your working life you will have no entitlement at all even on returning to the UK. Nor will you be entitled to free NHS healthcare on returning as a friend of mine here believed and hoped for ( he had cancer which after expensive treatment here killed him at 58 years of age, leaving a Thai wife and their daughter ) until you can show that you are habitually resident there, which can take months. If you follow UK news at all you will have heard alot about illegal asylum seeking boat people arriving undocumented on British Channel beaches, crossing in small unsafe boats from the French Channel coast. It's caused an uproar, mostly I think deliberately created to divert attention from the government's many other serious failures since brexit. What we do not hear about is that the UK has, since brexit, quietly made it increasingly difficult by raising the financial requirements for a British citizen to live in the UK with their foreign spouse and family, to return there after years abroad and bring their foreign national spouses and children to live as a family unit in the UK with them. Some of those foreign spouses and children already there will soon have to leave being unable to meet the new financial requirements for renewal of the Home Office's Spousal Visa unless they have secured settled status, a scheme devised for EU nationals living there legally at the time of brexit, or better still UK citizenship as my son's German wife managed to do. See Ian Dunt's recent substack piece on this here https://open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/p/the-price-they-put-on-love?r=8gki8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

It is thank you very much. So the simple answer is that income is perhaps the wrong word and the right one is "money ' remitted to Thailand from overseas, with some specific exceptions. Lost in translation 555. The Thai RD document is in perfect English but appears quite old, 2014? I guess though that nothing has changed since then? On the face of it it seems I will be paying "income" tax here for 2024 (and beyond) even taking in to account the allowances the RD document identifies. That is if I stay here beyond June 28th (?) 2024. If I leave shortly before that date I should not return until January 2025 to avoid taxation here altogether. That would be costly and would also end my extensions and I would have to start all over again. Something to bear in mind. I haven't yet tried to work out how much tax I would be paying but any tax payable will diminish our modest lifestyle. The UK/Thailand DTA is of no help to me as it only covers UK government pensions which are always taxed in the UK and paid net. The State Pension is paid gross, private pensions are subject to PAYE. Leaving before the 180 day deadline would mean abandoning my wife ( at least we have no children) and some members of her family, who I have supported financially and in kind these last 11 years, for least for 6 months or perhaps permanently. Oh dear. It was bad enough during the Covid years when we were separated for over 12 months. Now I am my wife's carer and the other family members I support are not in good health relying on me for transport to hospital appointments and in emergencies. As my handle on here implies we live 30km out from Kalasin. Very rural. I wasn't (over) thinking on the watches. I just meant that as an example of realising cash then remitting that cash to Thailand. Also, I did not mean that being a taxpayer entitles one to benefits such as healthcare or social security. It may I understand if you are a foreigner and an employee here. I was saying that being treated as tax resident should do so. Basically, that Thailand should be addressing this if it is taxing us and also the impermanent immigration status of forever annual applications for permission to stay for 1 year and meeting the requirements each time. This is treating us as visitors not residents, even if we have spouses and families here? As a visitor why should we pay taxes here. I appreciate that they are not the same, but they aren't in step nor have the potential to be. Although British I was able to obtain permanent residency status in France after 5 years living there AS A TAXPAYER. Even as a "temporary" resident after my first 6 months I was registered in their state healthcare system. It was obligatory, although means assessed for contributions. Thailand could and should do the same for its immigrant tax paying residents. cheers.

Well Mike I guess that is the issue. I'm not an accountant, let alone a tax expert here or anywhere else. How do the Thai RD define "income" then? Is it any (all) money sent to Thailand from overseas in their tax year regardless of source overseas?. That could include the sale proceeds of a capital item such as a house, a car, jewellery, watch etc etc remitted here as cash. What of the sum required to be in a Thai bank remitted from abroad and/or topped up from abroad for extensions of visas? Am I being a pain ? Sorry if I am. I do hope absolutely clear guidance will be forthcoming from the Thai RD. Wishful thinking may be? Lost in translation may be, or simply the whim of your local office(er) as often with the Immigration regs? Some years back my local RD office were totally uninterested implying I should go away and stop making waves! So I did. Why did I even try? Well, it was based on my experience in France where I was resident for many years. There there is a legal obligation on you to register and make tax declarations if in country more than 180 days. Naively I thought it would be the same here There are some, and I am one, that think that if the Thai government are going to regard retirees living 180 days or more here on foreign pensions and nothing else as tax resident, requiring annual tax declarations and potentially tax bills they should extend to them the same rights as Thai taxpayers and not regard us as long staying visitors/tourists with no rights. That should mean giving access to the thai state healthcare and welfare system, remove us from the dual pricing they apply to foreigners, give us a route to permanent resident immigration status, ending the forever annual extensions and reporting requirements when that is achieved ( 5 years of residency seems sensible and is used by other countries). Or of course the government could simply maintain the status quo and exempt those with retirement visas /extensions. Or we could spend less than 180 days a year here but for those with spouses and families here that is not necessarily realistic. I do hope this "curve ball" and the alarm it has caused some foreign retirees ( others just don't believe it), often supporting Thai spouses and Thai families on their modest pensions, and the quid pro quo issues I raise are being drawn to the attention of those in power here by some with more clout than little old me! As far as I can see the Embassies have been silent. Cheers!

Thanks. I was a complete newbie to building projects back then. learnt slot since! I've copied the photo you posted. Cheers mate.

You forgot pick up trucks loaded with as many people, children , even babies in the back as can be squeezed in. See it every day here

Indeed. But I was once stopped and fined for slowly running a red light in central Kalasin. The road was completely clear straight on and left and right. Been very cautious ever since.

In the provinces it's often different. Drivers crawl along whatever the traffic conditions.

80kph on busy inner city roads with pedestrian sidewalks is crazy. 50 is a little better. On most European roads the speed limits in cities and towns is often no more than 40. Recent moves have introduced 30, even 20 there. Still the Bangkok reality is of congestion and very slow moving traffic most of the day and night..apart from motorcycles and scooters weaving in and out at death wish speeds and on the sidewalks.

Round our way every build site seems to be filled to make a level site. Ours was. On sandy poor agricultural use ground the stand alone site originally sloping down from the road. Very sandy fill, not compacted. Left to settle for 12 months. Considerable depth towards rear of the plot, the house stands in the middle of the plot. Single storey house by design raised a meter off the new ground level. Piers at 3 metre intervals set in concrete pads at original ground. Not a straightforward single box shape but 3 boxes 2 smaller ones extending from the main one to the side and to the front. Quite a complex but pleasing to the eye design, resulting in 3 connected pitched roofs. Floors are prefabricated, bought in, panels, except for the 2 wet room shower floors which were cast on site at a slightly lower level and with an imperceptible but effective drainage slope. In addition to the rebar beams at floor level a rebar tie beam runs horizontally round the house at a metre above the floor but broken by double front and single rear doors. This is the base for all the teak framed windows, which to my amazement have no lintels above. But this has not given any problems as the very lightweight blockwork is not load bearing. The tie beam is made to look like an external design rather than structural feature. Pitched roofs with welded on site steel frame and rails on which sit concrete tiles. Apparently the Land Office required some changes due to structural loading concerns. All dealt with by the builder. The house is now 9 years old and still looks much as it did when completed but is now surrounded by a mature garden planted by us. Long intro to end up saying we have a few hairline cracks and there is one major crack which appeared within a few months in one bathroom in an exterior single skin block wall between piers running horizontally but lazily downwards from the top of one towards the base of the other but ending at the ring beam I mentioned above. This wall has a high level venting window and the exterior unit of the bedroom aircon is mounted on it. Our 2 open jointed earth base septic tanks are sited close, too close with hindsight, to one of these piers and due to the design of the house there is heavy roof water run off there too. After about 12 months you could see daylight though this crack. Regularly filled with ready mixed plaster filler over about 18 months until it stopped reopening for about 6 years ....but it's started opening again recently once the rain season ended. Why? I wonder. Apologies. I've gone on too long in what was intended as a short(ish) comment on fill!ed sites.

Quite. I too have made this point. I doubt the powers even thought of the effect on expats. I think they are looking at wealthy Thais offshoring their wealth and those working abroad. But it catches expats too.

Yes it is. But it is not income if it is a credit card. It is borrowed money. That's what credit is and it needs repaying along with interest. Different with a debit card. I would add that using foreign cards, debit or credit, can be a very expensive way of financing life here on a cash basis, especially drawing cash at Thai ATMs no matter which bank owns the machine. A fixed charge of 220 baht each time, possible loss on the exchange rate plus commission and I don't know about you but my UK bank charges me a processing fee too dependant on the amount converted to GBP that equals or exceeds 220 baht. So all in all a total cost of at least 500 baht or more each withdrawal. Using a Wise UK debit card to make cash withdrawals even if you have previously converted to baht with them is still very expensive too.

A number of points: 1. This revamp is probably aimed at wealthy Thais offshoring their wealth or working abroad and remitting income back to Thailand. Previously that could have been entirely tax free. Now that advantage has gone for them. Unfortunately though expats are also caught by this if in country for 180 days, 6 months, or more. It is a rule common to many countries but it usually brings benefits too. It is going to be particularly uncomfortable for those genuine retirees, ie of state pension age in their home country, living here on modest pensions, like myself. Especially if you are supporting a Thai spouse, possibly children etc. and as we get older probably requiring more and more expensive healthcare. 2. We all know that Thailand does not treat us retirees as permanent residents for immigration purposes, ever. We are long stay tourists, however long we live here. Even if we have Thai spouses, live with them, provide homes for them, have children with them or provide for their children from previous relationships. For decades in many cases. I'm sure most of us felt, if we thought about it at all, that was ok if we were not required to pay income tax here on our pensions. Despite there being no access other than on a paying basis to the Thai state healthcare system which may creak alot but it works. Despite there being no route to permanent residency to end the annual extension process, the home visits, the need for re entry permits, the reporting by TM 47 and TM 30, the different requirements of individual offices and officers etc. Despite the dual pricing policy Thailand operates for foreigners, which becomes less justifiable as Thailand's middle class grows living better lives on better incomes. I know a few. Why should I pay more than them? So will Thailand remedy this treatment of foreigners if it is going to require annual tax declarations from retirees, probably leading to annual tax bills? Will Thailand stop treating us as long stay tourists and start treating us as residents with the same rights and benefits as tax resident Thais .....or continue to waive the requirement for tax declarations? I doubt anyone in power has given this any thought. They should and we should be prepared to press them to do so. 3. The brief headline summary refers to earned income. What's the definition of earned? From employment seems obvious. From investments? From pensions? Both private and state? The UK government has for quite some years stated that the UK state pension is a state benefit contrary to the belief held by many including me (and as I believe was originally the case) that your NI contributions made whilst working went towards your future state pension. Now the UK government says NI contributions made by the working go towards the state pensions currently being paid to you and to me. So my point is that a UK state pension according to the UK government is not earned, it is a state benefit. 4. As I understand it the UK / Thailand DTA does not include pension income other than pensions from UK government employment. So not the UK state pension, not private pensions. 5. The Thai income tax thresholds are indeed very low bar. Because incomes here at least for many are still very low. The first, tax free, amount of income seems to be about half the basic UK state pension much less if your pension was frozen years ago. The subsequent Thai tax bands are low too as the % to be taxed increases. However there are pretty generous allowances: for example if you support a spouse who has no income, plus another if you are 65 years old or older. But even so many will end up paying some income tax here, based on current information and a DTA may not help, as in the case of the one with the UK.

Perhaps the ones who work on a casual basis for cash or benefits in kind ( Lao Khao springs to mind! Seriously) out in the sticks? That's aIot of people here. I read somewhere that over 50% of the Thai working age population are casual workers, not officially employed or registered business owners. Do my Thai in law's know what a tax return is? I doubt it. They live from one day to the next. MiL is illiterate but very good with cash! Does my wife? Definitely not.

Shocking to read about, traumatic and very sad for the deceased, his wife and nearby passengers. RIP. I feel for his wife left alone at the airport to transit to rebooked flight. Treated like a leper it seems. Where was the empathy?

Nope they are not. Only 22 carat. As you say there is a colour difference as well as it being softer. 22 is very yellow. Even 18 carat is noticeably lighter...and harder. In the west we don't use 22 carat for jewelry. I've never seen it in a jewellery shop. In Thailand as I quickly learnt 22 carat jewellery has only 2 purposes, a visible expression of wealth and therefore status at important events and as readily realisable in need ( with a very subjective test of need). Is giving gold jewellery seen as an expression of love and commitment here and appreciated for it? Nah. Possibly for about 10 seconds, no more.

Was there gambling too? Hi Lo? 5 effing days of it? That's what happens in our village. The bodies here are taken to be burned in the Temple furnace.

Looks good. Not exactly Thai food! Note the bill you get will add 7% vat and 10% service charge to the menu prices shown on the website.