jimgilly

Actually not a hard decision.  Either go with the country that will be on top going forward or the country that is totally broke, likes to start wars and is going down faster than the Titanic. 

On 3/12/2023 at 10:40 PM, malcy said:

Just heard that Maurice Weber of true blue has passed away , i have no more details at this point RIP great bloke .

Any more info on Maurice?  Knew him back in the days when he had the True Blue.

LOS = Land of Stupidity, Land of Savages, Land of (FAKE) Smiles

Forget about it.  I contacted a couple of sources advertising it and you can't get an answer from any of them on how this program actually works. 

Good luck trying to get anyone to invest when they don't know what they are investing in or any other important details someone would need to give this serious consideration.  I wouldn't be surprised to hear this was scrapped due to lack of interest, when the problem is they don't know how to market it properly.

2 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

Here's one piece:

 

Any US citizen or any person holding a green card has the obligation to file US tax returns and to pay all US taxes. In the case of a green card holder, this remains so even if the green card has “expired” and the individual has not returned to the USA for many years.

 

https://americansoverseas.org/en/green-card-holders/

So reading this, the US takes the position if a non-US citizen was issued a green card and they no longer live in the US,  they are still subject to US income taxes on any worldwide income they earn. 

I find that hard to believe as it's equivalent to financial slavery over subjects not only who are not US citizens, but not even residing in the country.   Then again, the US is a hegemony and they do think they are the world's police but fortunately those days I believe are about to come to an end.  At least, let's all hope so.

21 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

If the OP is eligible to receive US SSc benefits that would indicate he has lived and worked in the US for at least 10 years, that would further indicate that he has a green card (he doesn't say he doesn't), existing or expired or abandoned. And since he is eligible to receive SSc benefits, that means he has an SSc number, further evidence pointing towards a green card. SSc retirement benefits do not require US residency or the existence of a current Green Card.

 

I abandoned my US Green Card in 1985 following 15 years in the US. Today, I receive SSc retirement benefits which are taxable at an effective 24.5%, as long as I receive them whilst not living in the UK.....in the UK there is no US tax is withheld, per the DTA.

 

Every year I file a US tax return to reclaim the withholding tax, at least I did until 2016. Up to that point, the Treasury sent me a tax refund cheque every year. When Trump came into office strange things happened and my tax refund was ignored. After he left office and during covid several back dated years tax returns were processed and tax refund cheques issued. 

 

 

 

 

Nigel, I found there is a 30% withholding on 85% of the social security benefit which is effectively 25.5%.  However, no where could I find where it states you can file a tax return to get a refund for the tax withheld.  Do you have a link or source that provides that the social security withholding income tax is in fact refundable?  Thanks.

Does anyone know what would be the US tax withholding rate for a Thai non-US citizen/resident who is eligible to receive US social security benefits?

I know it is typically 30% of 85 of the benefit but then there is a reduction because of the US/Thai tax treaty.  What I haven't been able to find out is what that rate is.  Thanks for your help.

Like others, I've had the same problem with a second notice to return the form so it's not an isolated case by any means.

The way things are going, either the day will come when you won't get your payment or if you do, the US dollar will be worthless and you won't be able to buy anything with it.  Don't believe me, wait and see. 

I was about to complete an application for the international account and was told by one of their stateside employees the maximum amount per ATM withdrawal is only $500, with a daily limit of $1000.

That would mean to get out $1000 it would require 2 withdrawals per day or 440 baht in Thai bank fees.  So if I wanted to get say $10,000 out in a month that would be 4,400 baht in fees and I wonder if they would then put a limit on the amount of ATM withdrawals I could do each month. 

Has anyone made any large number of  ATM withdrawals in a month with the CS debit card and were there any problems doing so?  Thanks

Thanks for all the replies.  No address in the US and worried if I used a virtual address and they found out later if my account would be cancelled.

From what I've heard the requirement is $25,000 to open the international account but once opened there is no minimum balance required.  That wouldn't be bad if that turns out to be the case and there is no limit to the amount of ATM fee reimbursements each month.  That would be the cheapest way to move some US $ I have to Thailand and allow me to do it within time frames when exchange rates are favorable.

I've been thinking about opening a CS International account mainly for the atm fee reimbursements they provide.  Any experiences, good or bad, and what would they be?  Thanks

1 hour ago, jimgilly said:

Tilaceer do you have an address for Keow's restaurant.  Went by what I thought was the right address Friday afternoon and couldn't find it.  Thanks

That's where I went and all I saw was a typical Thai business that appeared to serve just Thai food that was closed. I could see inside and there was no where to sit - just a couple of round tables outside.  Is that it?

On 9/16/2022 at 1:10 PM, tilaceer said:

Keow does farang food as she did in her original place, plus more...cod and chips..mushy peas etc.
Plus she sells a variety of farang foodstufs, meat and fish.
'Arvo = afternoon ...

 

Else, you could try Colin's bar (Riverside) on a Wednesday night. That used to pull a few farangs in.
Just search on Riverside Bar Roi Et for directions.

Tilaceer do you have an address for Keow's restaurant.  Went by what I thought was the right address Friday afternoon and couldn't find it.  Thanks

Tilaceer,  thanks for the reply. 

I found the location for Keaw Store and it looks like it is just a typical Thai eatery with a couple of tables outside or am I wrong? 

I have no idea where arvo is or what the full name is.  I'd appreciate it if you could provide me with more details so I can check it out.  Thanks

On 9/15/2022 at 10:00 AM, tilaceer said:

Pat reopened a while ago in a new location.
Now known as "Keaw Store and Foodservice". Closed Mondays.
Expats are few and far between at the moment in the bars.
Probably Friday 'arvo is your best bet.

 

Are there any places open now, especially in the afternoon where an expat can go to have a beer and maybe meet another expat?  I know there used to be Patrick's but he moved and I don't think he reopened anywhere. 

19 hours ago, John Drake said:

I order a lot of books from the US and UK. Shipping from the US now runs between $27 and $50 per book and takes four to six weeks for delivery. Shipping from the UK is still the equivalent of around $6 and takes less than two weeks. This is the case consistently. 

Why would you pay $27 to $50 to get a book when that's got to be a lot more than the cost of the book itself?

From "land of the free, home of the brave" to "land of the not-so-free, home of the sheeple". 

The country has self-destructed and past the point of no return.  If it survives 3 more years I'll be surprised.

The US is already bankrupt borrowing trillions more than they take in each year. 

So sure, let's just print more funny money (like they've been doing) and pretend everything is just fine while the economy, currency and petrodollar are coming to an end.

Instead of hoping they are going to boost your benefits, just be happy your getting a check now and the dollar is currently strong because this party is about to crash.  This year, next year, whenever, it's not far off so enjoy it while you can.

Need to renew my Thai drivers license which expires in May.  Anyone know what the requirements are to do so in Roi Et?  Thanks

Need to add the 206 PM2.5 reading was on 26 Apr 2021 and the 159 reading was today 21 Dec 2021.

Started following the PM2.5 pollution levels in Roi Et and found they were terrible - actually worse than Chiang Mai.  If this pattern holds then from November through April you can expect unsafe levels which is half the year.

I wonder how many else are aware of this as I consider it to be a major problem for anyone living here or thinking to move to this area. 

1 hour ago, Pib said:

I have used my Schwab card before for counter withdrawals but it's limited to $1,000 per day whether withdrawing from an ATM or counter.  But later on I got a Cap1 no foreign transaction fee debit that allows $1,000 per day from an ATM and $5,000 at the counter....but it does not reimburse any ATM fees like the Schwab card....so I only use the Cap1 card for counter withdrawals.  The Cap1 debit card has a $5,000 daily counter limit which allows me to do counter withdrawals in the Bt150,000-165,000 ballpark depending on exchange rate....come back the next day and counter withdraw another $5K worth of baht if desired (if you have the bucks).   Doing periodic $5K worth of baht counter withdrawals is my primary way to bring cash into Thailand to top-up my Thai bank accts.   

 

Transfer services like Wise or bank SWIFTs are basically just "backup" methods for me because doing  counter withdrawals with a no foreign transaction fee card gets you the most baht at the least cost...beats Wise....beats SWIFT/ACH/IDD when all the exchange rate/fee dust settles.

Getting up to $5000 with no fees would be great, however, I take it you need a US address to qualify for the Cap1 debit card, which would disqualify me.  Scwab may still work though.  Thanks for the info.