Lacessit

Effectively, I can transfer all my savings to Thailand over the next 5 - 10 years, not pay a cent in tax, and allow the pension I collect every fortnight to accumulate in an Australian bank account for the same period, correct? Bad luck for pensioners who have Centrelink transferring their pension directly into a Thai bank, though.

That's probably offset by the number of people who have posted in negative terms.

I bring funds into Thailand periodically. They may be provable savings prior to January 2024, or subsequent savings arising from a pension. How is the RD supposed to tell the difference? If it's transferred into an account held jointly with a Thai, what then? Is the RD able to mandate the reporting of all overseas transfers of foreigners? How does it determine the residency status of each foreigner?

A very good question. It depends on whether the tax people can link up with Immigration to ensure visas and extensions are made dependent on tax compliance. Without that, IMO it's a toothless tiger. The difficulty there will be that the tax people will be p!ssing in the soup of corrupt IO's, and making extra work in determining the residency status of each and every foreigner.

Latin was part of my education, way back when. I have always admired the ability of the language to express concepts in simple and sometimes brutal terms.

The probability of someone turning on me in such a public place would be rather low. I might be 80. However, I do keep myself in good shape, and I am bigger than most Thais. I'd agree I should pick my battles. That does not mean I become a doormat for everybody.

Chiang Rai city has a population of 200,000. That's hardly one-horse, although it does mean traffic is manageable. Another dumb post from someone who probably has never been there.

Getting a non-O visa is a different process. As I understand it, 25 - 35K baht for an extension obtained by bribery is the going rate. For 15K, what you are supposed to get is rapid service at Immigration, and all your paperwork ducks in a row, assembled for you by the agent. Including a legit 800 K baht in the bank.

I look forward to visiting Bangkok like I look forward to a dental appointment for root canal therapy.

Off topic,speaking Thai can be very useful. I was recently at a food court when a young Thai pushed in front of me. Gave him my best death stare, and said "mai supap" ( disrespectful ). He backed off, sheepishly. On topic, I agree word of mouth from foreigners who are using the illegal agent route sounds best.

I must admit it does grate somewhat keeping 800K baht in a savings account when it could be out there working for me. Having said that, I have a few concerns about the route you describe. The first is whether the other shoe drops, and thousands of extensions suddenly become illegal as a new broom sweeps through. The second is I don't know if my local office is corrupt or straight arrow. The third is picking an effective and honest agent, which is an oxymoron, given what they are doing. There are stories of agents losing or stealing passports, none of us need that hassle. Perhaps an agent just to negotiate the tax component with Immigration?

Again, I would not know. I'm usually tucked up in bed by 10.30 pm, and I haven't touched alcohol for a year. Even when I was imbibing, I didn't need to be out at 1 am for it.

I could equally replace "will" and "could" with "might". It's very early days yet, IMO it will probably take one or two years for everything to shake out. The most critical aspect appears to be whether Thai Immigration will be demanding a tax number, or evidence of a tax return, when any foreigner fronts up for a retirement extension.

There's a small bar presence in Jetyod Road. The massage shops in the sois radiating off Jetyod usually have extras, quite frequently offered before asking. Some nice looking women there. I wouldn't know about cannabis, it does nothing for me. Mom and Pop shops everywhere, although my definition of them may vary from yours.

IMO Chiang Rai probably has one of the lowest costs of living in Thailand. Property prices and rents simply don't seem to move. Chiang Rai has three private hospitals, an army hospital, and two government hospitals. It's not as if it is short on infrastructure.

If you have never been there, you won't know what attractions it has. If you have, given your attitude, you would probably miss most of them. Having been in Pattaya a few times, I would sooner chew razor blades than be a resident there. Phuket sounds like Pattaya squared.

There is nothing wrong with kratom if it is used sensibly. That might not apply among younger people. It is addictive. However, AFAIK it does not cause psychosis as marijuana can, or remove inhibitions, as alcohol does. Its main function seems to be as a painkiller. Personally, I find it to be far more effective than tramadol for pain relief. Tramadol seems to be the strongest medication legally available in Thailand for that purpose.

It would take a hell of a lot to pry me loose from Chiang Rai, although I suppose Chiang Rai is not high on the riff-raff bucket list of places they can spoil for others.

IMO if you are in Thailand more than 180 days ( FY? Calendar? ) you will be taxed by the Thai authorities on income. Someone solely on the OAP in Australia has the pension to report as assessable. However, after thresholds and offsets are taken into account, no tax is payable anyway. It's a moot point whether submitting a tax return in Australia means one has been taxed, even though they actually paid no tax. I tend to agree the accent is on the word WEALTHY, although as yet that has not been defined by the Thai authorities. It should be common sense government pensions are not taxable anywhere on the planet, but that would mean thousands if not hundreds of thousands of bureaucrats would be out of a job.

He's probably in a barbed wire canoe as well.

Hiccups sometimes are caused by eating or drinking too much, or too fast. If they last for more than 48 hours, time to see a doctor. They can usually be fixed by drinking water from the other side of a glass, so that the glass rim where you would normally drink from is under the chin.

You think my scenario is fanciful? He's already been indicted for illegally keeping top secret documents at Mar-a-Largo, and showing them off to visitors. What do you think Trump would do with blanket immunity?

You can enjoy more chocolate if you buy the 80-90% cacao content.

Engines wear out faster without maintenance, so do our bodies. There's plenty of proof regular exercise defends against problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Citing Trump on that topic is a bit like citing Hitler or Stalin for humanitarianism.

Everyone is different, some are blessed with good genes. Others have to work at it. AFAIK obesity has never resulted from eating dead animals. It comes from eating too much carbohydrates and sugars.