wolfmanjack

I have a friend from the UK who works in Thailand. He asked his employer about the minimum salary requirement (because he earns less than that) and they explained to him that they have to pay income tax in his name on the minimum salary, even if he earns less than this.

Has anyone else been told this? It would seem to make sense as it implies that the rule is designed to maximise the tax revenues for the government, rather than as a minimum wage protection for foreign workers.

The differant government offices are not on the same page as far as salary is concerned. According to my experience the labor department wants me to show 30,000 baht per month to renew the work permit plus the 5 thai employees. I think they care more about the 5 thai employees than they do my income. The revenue department accepted the 30,000 baht for the first 3 years then required that i pay taxes on 35,000 baht. Of course this year they came in and said my building was too big and I had too many workers so i had to pay an extra 42,000 baht in taxes. It didn't matter what my invoices and receipts said. Immigration wants me as an american to show 60,000 baht per month. Of course it does not matter how much I actually make but i have to show tax receipts for the differant amounts that each differant group wants. The 35,000 per month only requires 1900 baht per month tax payment and moving up to 60,000 requires 6,750 baht per month payment. More than 3x's in tax payment. So your assumption of maximizing tax payments is correct. I would guess that 80% of the thai citizens pay no income taxes they have to maximize tax from foreigners to pay for the give away programs of tax+sin.

As far as the differance in salaries between countries concerned is I looked at it as the thai gov not wanting as many Americans here so they made a higher wage requirement. When my British friend heard about it his first reaction was that they thought Europeans were worht less money. Now they are bringing it down to europeans and americans are the same wage. By the way, I live better on 35,000 baht per month here in thailand than I did in the USA on $2,500 per month.

Reading this...its still not too clear and want to be sure...i have tickets and passport (U.S.) to visit thailand and attend son's wedding...visit will around 10 days...do i need a VISA...i will have been out of the country for over a year...will not my passport do...apologize...i am so ignorant on this stuff...tks patrick(texas)

Patrick,

You do not need a visa. Nor does any of this apply to you. Since you are only going to be here for 10 days just bring your passport and you will be fine. This only applies to the people that want to stay here month after month after month etc.

I asked this question earlier but never got a reply.

Right now I am teaching (legally with a work permit) But I am looking at switching over to private tutoring in 2007. I am also getting married in 2007 to a Thai girl. I am 24 so the retirement visa is out and we won't be running a business. So what are my options. I am ignorant as to what I get through marriage, but from my brief understanding it's basically nothing.

Seemingly perhaps working 10hrs at a private tutoring company for a work permit seems the best option...

Thanks in advance!

Do you have 400,000 baht ? If you do, then you can get a 1 year visa multiple entry by going to an embassy or consulate. If you already have a visa then you can get a 1 year single entry at you local immigration office. The advantage of the multipole entry is that you only need the money in the account when you go get the visa which takes 2 days or less. If you go for the 1 year single entry it is possibel that you need to have the money in there for the whole year.

I would also like to add that a lot of Thai businesses will go belly up. I know many Thais who run dive ops in the Gulf and Andaman and they rely on foreign divers to teach. The shops can't afford to sponsor the dive master and rely on the visa run system to stay afloat. And it's not like a Thai can easily fill the position. How many Thais are certified divers, fluent in English and another language such as German,Swedish etc... And let's not forget all the associated businesses such as hotels,restaraunts, visa run companies,dive shop support staff......Smart move Taksin!

Well, you are right, many Companies rely on foreign workers, BUT then they should take care of the correct paper work.

Can a company in the States or Europe employ someone without Work permit only because he speaks another Language or whatever? I don't think so.....

Every Chef in a German Thai Restaurant need to have a Work permit and if he don't he simply get arrested if the Government check out the place.

In the USA your green card is your work permit. It also allows you to change employers whenever you like which is not the case here. Also if i need a person that speaks a special language and they are considered in short supply in the USA i can get a green card for someone that qualifies before they come to the USA.

Well, easy answer. If they support someone or are married here, they should be able to proof that and get the right Visa. I know it's not simply as before but they should get it without problems. If they need to proof Money in the Bank and they haven't, well they some kind of unlucky, but they can't complain. Do you know what a Thaigirl need to get a Visa for Europe? Insurance, Money in the Bank and much more. Why should Farangs in Thailand live here without Insurance or Money?

Having money is ok. But the amount of money they require is a bit much. To qualify for the USA you only need 125% of poverty level. And that will allow your thai spouse to enter the USA forever and work. You only need to finalize your visa before the end of 2 years and that is mainly to guarantee you have been married to an american citizen the entire time. the 400k the thai system requires is what , 20 times poverty level ? And this has to be shown every year or you are kicked out. Seven days to leave the country. So stop trying to say the thai system is so liberal compared to the USA.

Im sick of the attitude that some people are showing here. Its almost like they are very happy that some of us will now have problems. Rediculous

I agree, for a lot of people this is going to cause (already causing) much stress and inconvenience. Others should consider that instead of saying som nam na.

The following is copied from Wikipedia:

som nam na, can be interpreted as "you got what you deserved," "serves you right" or "I'm laughing at your bad luck."

In German it is called schadenfreude.

Schadenfreude is also referenced in the Simpsons episode "When Flanders Failed." Lisa accuses Homer of feeling schadenfreude when Homer gloats about Ned Flanders being on the verge of bankruptcy. Lisa asks Homer, "Dad, do you know what Schadenfreude is?", to which Homer replies in a sarcastic tone, "No, I do not know what Schadenfreude is. Please tell me because I'm dying to know." Lisa then explains "It's a German term for shameful joy, taking pleasure in the suffering of others." Homer responds with "Oh, come on, Lisa. I'm just glad to see him fall flat on his butt! He's usually all happy and comfortable, and surrounded by loved ones, and it makes me feel...what's the opposite of that shameful joy thing of yours?" "Sour grapes." "Boy, those Germans have a word for everything."

Taking pleasure in other suffering is so not cool. Best of luck to all types of visa holders, investors, etc.

he he, thanks for the mostly off-topic but great post. lightens things up.

as for my feelings on the rule changes...

in some casees, it hurts some guys who really don't deserve it. guys with thai spouses/kids who don't have enough money to qualify for marriage visas, guys who live in Laos and regularly buy things in thailand, and i'm sure others.

i'll also be impacted by these changes, but it isn't life-altering for me.

but i think "som nam na" really does apply to many (of course not all) of the people these new rules will impact... come on, all of us know some guys who live in thailand 30-days at a time, take jobs that Thais could do, and completely disrespect thai culture and not only live very "un-thai" lives, but they do it very indiscretely -- almost thumbing their noses at thai people.

well, those are the guys that thai people hate. and they ruined it for the rest of us. they made every foreigner a bigger target than they already were.

and you really can't blame a country for trying to clean up its obviously broken immigration laws. i think they've made some critical errors in the manner in which they're doing it, but i don't blame them for their intent, only how they're going about it.

The bangkok Post article that released this news mentioned 16,000 chinese and 14,000 Indians that are here under the VOA program. It also mentioned that it is assumed these 30,000 probably low income people are working in thailand illegally and taking jobs that thais could be doing. I agree with taking on the task 0f getting rid of these people. Of Course TAK+SIN could just be using that as an excuse to get rid of the Falangs he has hated since high school.

I see everyone is asking “how does this change my life?” I can say from the looks of this it will change the Thais more than it does visa holders. The implementation of this for the Thais will be a nightmare. What they want and what they get most certainly will be different things. Just a few things they will encounter listed.

Angry Thai parents wanting to know where the native speaking English teachers they paid for are.

Inability to meet teaching mandates of having native speaking teachers.

Landlords suddenly faced with huge vacancies and inability to make mortgage payments setting off foreclosures.

Sudden end to the building boom and perhaps expected revenue for big ticket projects. Too many vacancies.

(Don’t forget Thaksin spent expected income out past 2010 so there is no backup cash to cushion this.)

It only took me two minutes to come up with that. All of the above translates to votes. This does not only effect Bangkok but all of Thailand including Thaksinland. The only question is who started this? Meaning who very literally just placed their life in danger with this decision. Was it in Immigration or higher up? When you know that you will get an idea of the life expectancy of this idea and perhaps the person who started it. I am quite sure money going out goes against Thai culture and beliefs.

There is a symbiotic relationship that is beneficial to both Thais and visa holders that is about to be interrupted.

Don't forget that the vote for TAX+SIN is the POOR PEOPLE. THEY do not give a shit if the wealthy people that own condos or apartments and send their kids to EXPENSIVE schools with Native English speaking teachers get angry or not. As a matter of fact it probably tickles the shit out of them. Haven't you been reading the papers ???? The educated people (ie. middle and upper class) do not like TAX+SIN and he is probably doing this to piss them off. They are only 10% of the population and do not vote for him. He needs to fund the populist programs that he sponsored so he cqn continue to get votes. Gain the favor of the poor by punishing the rich (except yopur friends of course). Hey if I was them i would be laughing. All these people think they are so HI-So !!!! Sending their kids to a school that cost over 5,000++++ baht per month while my whole income is only 4,000 baht. HAH Good for them losing their falang teachers.

Is it 3 back to back visas and out for 90 days no mater how long you have stayed for on the visas. Example 1st one lets say 2 weeks then the next 3 weeks and the last the full 30 days. This is not staying in thailand for 90 days but it is 3 back to back visas

Depends on your definition of back to back. I would say that a 15 day break between the visas would not be back to back but only a one day would.

I agree with thai government, (well done) these multinationals has knock it off.

We have to remember that the multinationals brings poverty not wealth.

I am confused with this one. How does bringing over a hundred higher paying jobs, both during construction and after, to an area bring poverty ?

There is still competition on price between carrafour, Big C, Lotus, Makro, and the smaller shops. I can buy beer and whiskey for less at the local market. Also some veggies are less at the market and some are more. Besides my thai wife has not caught on to shopping for a whole week let alone a whole month and still does daily shopping at the local shops. hel_l the main market is only 2 kilos away and she will pay more at the shop in someones house because it is only 1 kilo away. Not much further on the motorbike but she won't go.

On the other hand, it can also be assumed that investing in the directors land and house is never ever going to make a profit and therefore very likely to be nominees. No voting rights, no dividens, no profit. After a few years it will be suspicious. Mabe after 10 years when you are nicely settled and comfertable. And then the dreaded knock on the door.

With these law bending practices you have to move fast. Buy, sell, buy sell. Still not right, but that is what i see people dong the most, and they are getting away with it.

And making a good profit.

But for living in the house for the long term, the odds are not good.

What ever happened to the Gov disolving companies that are not conducting any business ? I remember this being in the paper a few years ago. That would get rid of the company for purpose of owning land for personal use.

The revenue department told me that I HAD to show a profit this year. This is after 3 years of no profit but paying myself a salary and paying taxes on that salary.

Everone is talking about rich falangs raising the prices of land. I live in Chiang Mai and it is the rich Thais from Bkk that are raising the prices here. I paid 300K per rai for the land I have and now the prices are skyrocketing. The bangkok thais bought the land in front of me for 400K per rai and now are asking 2mill per rai. Crazy. Go anywhere in the mountains around chiang mai and look for land that has a nice view. Then ask who owns it. The answer will be Rich Bangkok people. Any one have a link to how many $Millionaires$ there are in thailand ?? using US$ not thai baht as a guide.

The new team is expected to be in place before the next erection scheduled for Oct 15th 2006.

Are you trying to say taksin can only get an erection when there is an election.

It is about time this was regulated. It is no wonder that the Thai standard of education is so poor when these bogus individuals are passing themselves off as teachers. An example, some of the so called English teachers I have met can't even speak Thai, how the hel_l can you explain something effectively to a non English speaker if you don't speak the native tongue? You can't. You can muddle through but the student's level of education will suffer.

The head of an english department in bkk told me that they had a native english speaker that also spoke thai. As soon as the kids found out the teacher spoke thai they refused to speak english. I also know several native english speakers who also speak thai. Most of their children do not speak english. Every class should have an english thai dictionary where the student can look up the word they do not know and use it. This would force them to communicate in english. i speak some thai but I force my children to speak english when they speak to me. If they know a thai word but do not know an english equivlant, I have them go ask their mother. This forces them to remember the word until they can make it back to whatever room I am in to tell me. As it is now, based on my experience, my 4 year old speaks better english than 99% of the university graduates in thailand.

"Exactly! And these criminal acts should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. That's what laws are for- to police the conscience of the public. "

i don't know where you live but many of the laws here in thailand are enacted to increase the amount of under the table money paid. This has to be true of most of the laws that do not make sense.

Didnt the goverment say all classrooms would be air conditioned and at 21c as well not long ago?

21C ? I just checked and my aicon is set at 26C and I am compfortable. 21C would get the Thai kids to wearing jackets in class.

The 8 years that I spent university were not spent at parties as one of your previous posts suggests.

8 years !!!!!!!!

You must have a PHD already, or were you a career student.

Apparently there are quite a few people posting here who regard themselves as "teachers", yet have no teaching degree/qualification.

Why is it so difficult to understand that if you want to teach you need the proper qualifications? and I don't mean the Kao-Sarn type of degree!

Especially when it comes to teaching children, knowledge about a language is just not enough. A proper education in pedagogical science is an absolute must!

opalhort

I think the main point everyone is trying to make is proper "qualifications". I know many people without a degree of any kind that do a very good job of teaching. They did complete an ESL course.

Why should you have to spend 4 years of your life studying history and all of the other bullshit courses that you have to take along with your chosen feild of study to get a degree. Not to mention the thousands of dollars it costs. When I was studying in university my professor told me whatever company hired me would tell me to forget everything that i larned at university because they were going to teach me how to do it there way. Requiring a degree is only for making sure the person wants the job bad enough to spend the time and money to get one so they can get the job.

Not to mention the fact that the nickname for education classes is "cake walk class." Most of the people at university, my self included, took education classes as electives because they were the easiest class to ge an "A" in.

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Of course you're not wrong and I agree with you.

I really don't see what the fuss is all about; the man clearly stated: "Caretaker Foreign Minister Kantathi Supamongkhon said that foreigners should have immigration and security checks at the first point they entered the Thai soil."

Now; I'm no Rocket-Scientist, but like a few posters have already indicated; in the USA this has been normal practice (as it should !) for many, many moons.

It makes perfectly good sense to check all incoming travelers & their bagage & belongings, at their first point of entry.

The last time I flew to the USA they had us go through security right after we cleared customs. Taking our shoes off and the whole bit. I am no rocket scientist either so maybe that is why I am confused by this. Now if i (which i am not) was a phsycho suicide bomber and I managed to get on a flight in bangkok with explosives or whatever I do not think that I would wait until I got to the USA to get on a domestic flight to blow it up or hijack it. I would thank ALLAH that I did not get caught in BKK and take out the plane I am on over the ocean. So checking peoples luggage after they got off an airplane seems kind of stupid to me.

I understood something else : immigration checks are maybe "weaker" on Phuket or Chiang Mai, than in Don Muang.

I don't know about Phuket but EVERY time I flew into Chiang Mai from an international flight, my bags have been openeds and checked. They have never been checked in Bkk unless they opened them behind the scenes and did not put any customs tape on the bag.

Of course the cops will cordon the youngest, cutest gals - rather than talk seriously with the bar owners or older girls. Similarly, cops here in Chiang Rai, whenever they do a "helmet and ID' stop - 95% of the people they detain are beautiful young girls - who are naturally giggly, nervous, compliant, scared, a bit angry, and perhaps willing to do a little tit for tat to avoid a 200 baht fine. Certainly tel#'s are occassionally garnered (am I jealous? yes). Incidentally, in 8 years of daily driving in the region, I have never seen a ticket written for driving thru a red light or speeding or driving on wrong side of the road or a pick-up overloaded with kids, or for any of the dangerous things that transpire continually here.

I have been stopped many times. I drive to bkk twice a year and have never failed to get stopped by the airport trap. The last time was for having 2 small boxes in the back of my pickup truck. I paid my 200 baht and off i went. In 10 years i have been ticketed twice. The first time I was not guilty of anything wrong and I had to go sit at the station for several hours until the uniform had time to take my 400 baht. Then I had to listen to a lecture about how bad of a person I was for violating the traffic laws of thailand. This really pissed me off since i was not guilty of anything and something like 90% could not get an 80% on a test on thai driving laws. After that i realized paying 200 baht every time I was asked was a better deal than arguing with them.

The second and last time I was ticketed I did do what they said I did even though i did not know it was a problem. I tried to explain that i did know that it was illegal to change lanes a few 100 meters before the traffic light and if I had known I definately would not have done it in front of all of the police standing by the road. He would not take the 200 baht I offered and I had to pay the 400 baht and sign the ticket. Then he went and paid the fine for me.

Beer Chang has a headache in every bottle. I have tried over 300 differant Brands of beer and in MHO Belhaven is the best beer in the world. Anyone that has tried anything better is welcome to send a few samples to try and change my mind.