Mike Teavee

6 hours ago, naboo said:

I spoke to them today and they told me that for those of us paying Class 2 only (non-resident for tax in the UK and employed outside the EU) we have until April 2020 to pay 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 without penalty. I back paid class 2 a couple of years ago to bring myself up to date.

 

From April 2019, the class 2 only option for those employed overseas or in self employment is gone and the rate will increase from GBP2.95/week to GBP17.60/week (GBP915/year). At an extra GBP4.50/week in your pension for each year's contribution, you'd need to live about 4 years post retirement age to get your money back. I think at that rate I'll look at other investments, what was a good (excellent) deal is turning pretty poor.

I’ve paid 35 years so far, 36 when I sort out 2017/2018 which is showing as partial payment (I’ve a feeing for a 40p miscalculation I made when catching up which they said they’d written off) so will pay 2018/2019 (1/2 paid already) then stop.

15 minutes ago, chang50 said:

Well I've completed the paperwork and hopefully will be paying class 3 contributions by annual request starting at the end of this tax year..

If you've missed previously years why not catch them up (Can do up to the previous 6 Tax Years plus they might let you do the 18/19 Tax Year if you apply now)

Did you ask about paying Class 2?

1 hour ago, steve187 said:

gov. gateway now sends a pin number to your phone when logging in,  i can get to the log in page without a VPN

As I said above, I didn't need any SMS/Pin number when logging in using their App on my mobile... 

On a related topic, any recommendations for where to get your eyes tested In Bangkok or should I wait till I’m visiting UK next month?

42 minutes ago, topt said:

You have needed to set up a phone no. for them to send you a pin each time you log in - started I think about 18 months ago or so.

Initially I used my Thai no. which worked sometimes and not others. So if you have no UK no. try that - use your existing log in to start and should then ask you for a phone number.

There is an HMRC App for your phone that can be used to provide 2FA, on the Apple Store it's called HMRC.

Not sure if you need a UK mobile to get it set-up in the 1st place, but once it is set-up you don't need any mobile (Have just used it to log in to check my NI).

On 2/16/2019 at 12:52 PM, chang50 said:

Thanks they have already informed me the first year that will improve my position is 2016-17 but it is not clear whether I would be better to pay class 2 or 3 contributions or by Annual request.

I did this about a year ago & caught up on 6 years + the 2016/2017 Tax year so got 7 years contribution at Class 2 for approximately 980GBP...

Then signed-up to continue to pay at Class 2 for approx 150GBP per year...  

NB I'm not 100% sure, but I was led to believe that you have to be working overseas to pay at Class 2 rates but I'm not sure whether they check or not (I do an annual UK Tax Return which includes details of my Overseas employment so they would know that I do anyway).

I always "Believed" I was agnostic (I don't know if God exists & am resigned to the fact that I never will - Get on with life), turns out today's society labels me as "Passive Atheist" but if there is a God & a Hell, I "pray" for a special room for these people.

2 hours ago, Hummin said:

Natal and Fortaleza Brazil have good air quality! I would choose that destination before Portugal for many reasons, but I could choose Portugal for being in Eu for other reasons. 

 

 

What's the Overseas earning tax position in Portugal? - I was led to believe they Tax it, but then read something a little while back that said they no longer tax it.

On 2/12/2019 at 10:17 AM, Loaded said:

Mindanao in the Philippines for me.

Used to visit Davao 3-4 times a year & loved the place, but on last few visits I've noticed the number of foreigners (Mongers) has increased massively & the place is (people are) getting spoiled.  Used to have a house in Kapalong which is about 30 minutes up from Tagum City & it's still really nice around there, TC is just about big enough to live in Kapalong no where near big enough, especially as 1/2 of the Barangay is related to my Ex - Surigao City is quite nice too...

I do love the Philippines though & if I don't fully move to Thailand next year it's going to be a toss-up between PI (Somewhere in the Visayas or Palawan) and Vietnam, though I would love to explore South America - Just don't know where to start... 

OP: Have you checked the weather out in Kunming? Think it gets pretty cold/wet up there... 

29 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

 

You're probably not all that welcome in your home country other than as a source of revenue. Thailand's a pretty great place if you skip lightly across the surface of the culture and society. Don't recommend a deep dive. Same applies to the US where I come from.

I sort of consider Singapore as my home country now (originally from UK) after living there for the past 10 years, but you can bet your cotton socks I'll be out of there < 1 month after retirement.

I love the place & would never speak badly of it, but it's a place where you go to work, not to live (Though my SG/Chinese gf has got it in her head that we should get married so I can live there after work!).

Lots of places I'm yet to visit in this world (South America in particular) so I'll maintain my Non-O Imm (>50) but won't be committing anything to Thailand outside of the Condo that I already rent & the 1MM THB in the bank to cover Visa renewal (I know it's only 800K but I like being a millionaire :) )

13 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

 

I was on drugs for a number of years, you?

 

If all I had to look forward to was lunch, my next holiday, what I was going to wear or whether or not to have fries, my life truly would suck.

 

Sure, I make plans and decisions, but plan my future? I'd have sold myself short.

 

"Man makes plans, God laughs."

We can definitely agree on that ???? 

Obviously I might drop dead tomorrow so do not have full control of my future but at least (we can try to agree that) I can (try to) plan for it.

God I miss the drugs.... funny enough weed the most ????

1 minute ago, Yellowtail said:

And a survey will help you decide?

No... I will decide my future (as I always do, as anybody who can does), I'm just curious

1 hour ago, CMNightRider said:

I certainly didn't mean to sneer at anyone, lol.  I was just pointing out the obvious.  Good luck ????  

Thanks, being a Brit I need all the luck I can get at the moment with GBP income, fortunately I'm still earning in SGD so buffered from the worse of it ????

Good Luck to all, except THB, that bu@@er could do with being taken down a peg or 3!!!

56 minutes ago, CMNightRider said:

Good for you regarding your investment strategy of depositing 800,000 baht in a Thai bank.  Maybe being a financial consultant is in your future. ????

I don’t know why you sneer at guys who choose to go down the 800k in the Bank route, I can guess why but will give you the benefit of the doubt & believe that you really are so financially prudent every Baht counts.

For me, part of prudent financial planning is to keep at least 6 months cash in the bank so it’s there for any emergencies or to tide you over when FX rates are poor (my passive income comes from UK investments), the fact that it doubles as meeting the immigration requirements is a bonus.

To each his own... 

8 hours ago, Maestro said:

For anybody who, besides me, might be wondering: amounts of money are not measured in millimetres (mm) or millimeters (mm), neither in Thailand nor in the USA.

(As I found out when I started working for a US Bank), MM is the abbreviated way to express Million and M the way to express Thousand.

Confused the hell out of me at 1st as I spent years using M for Million & K for Thousand. 

21 hours ago, elviajero said:

I’m aware of the requirements as I looked into it for my own business. The source you quote is an unofficial third party website, here is the official BOI information. https://www.boi.go.th/upload/BOI-brochure 2018-smart visa-EN-20180125_97687_87299.pdf

 

A 90 day report exemption for the scheme was never formally sanctioned. It would appear that the BOI/One Stop are just not enforcing the law. Same but different!

Found a similar official BOI doc https://www.boi.go.th/upload/content/BOI-brochure 2018-smart visa-EN-20180125_97687.pdf  which also says you only need to report your address if you stay in Thailand for longer than 12 months plus this one also has "6. Access to a fast-track service at international airports in Thailand (where available)." as one of the privileges, does anybody know if BOI Smart Visa holders can use Fasttrack immigration & is this the same as the Diplomatic/APEC line? 

7 hours ago, onera1961 said:

70K USD one can live any place in the world, I guess. I lived in Zurich with 5K USD/month. And Zurich is one of the most expensive place on earth. 

Live in Singapore & spend an average (excluding twice monthly trips overseas which are paid for from UK income) of around $5,900 USD (s$8,000) per month, so $70,000 USD does give you a pretty nice lifestyle in what is one of the world's most expensive places to live.

Just a shame the poster got his math(s) wrong & 3M THB is approx $100,000 USD which at 7% is $7,000 USD pa.

Also use the 800K in the bank method to support my Non-O & if this does become available as an in-country extension with reasonable (International) Health Care cover being accepted then I'd go for it.

On 1/24/2019 at 4:19 PM, allanos said:

It seems this Kelly character, although he is clearly a loser, has something of a charmed life.  From postman, probably quite a grueling job, he becomes a bar owner in sunny Thailand - living the dream. 

 

Deals drugs to such a degree that he can afford to buy another bar; that's corporate growth, he was on an upward trajectory.  Gets nailed and sentenced to an awful amount of time, but has a loving brother who commits his own life savings to get Kelly out of a Hell hole and back to the joys of a prison cell in Blighty; 3 squares and television.

 

And then, le piece de resistance, he is out after 3 years and is the local darts champion!

 

A book?  They should be paying him thousands for the film rights!

The OP is complete tosh... 

If you watch the programme & read some of the news reports you'll find that (thanks to his brother spending £80,000 on/with Lawyers BEFORE sentencing) he was sentenced to 5.5 years (not 30) which is why he was eligible for transfer back to the UK after 2.75 years