Fat is a type of crazy

8 minutes ago, susanlea said:

Sangsom and local beers are rather cheap in shops. A beer costs the same as a bowl of noodles and Sangsom 2.5 bowls of noodles. How do you think Thais can afford to drink on their 8,000 baht a month budget?

But you said you DON'T drink the cheap stuff

Being from the southern hemisphere it's a nice break from the cold that coincides with low season. Basically I like Koh Chang and Khao Lak's not bad and Jomtiem I now consider a fun place to stay and I like the Thai way so that's  why I like it. You can get amazing hotels in low season and I like the bigger waves and less sun in low season. If not for those things I might not bother. 

24 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

I'm thinking this for a Pattaya expats and I could be wrong 

 

Condo 23sqm Arcadia Beach 6-8kbaht  per month 

 

Electric 2000 a month maybe even less ? But I need Aircon at night ...buy fans ?

 

Food 13 k.per month

 

Entertainment 5k

Transport 1000

Miscellaneous laundry etc 

 

Look I washed some of my clothes in the kitchen sink  and hung out on the balcony!!!

 

 

This is less than 25,000 per month !! 

Ways to cut down 

 

Buy your own condo !

Catch your own food on the street or go to Soup kitchens !  

I have no idea if there are welfare type soup kitchens particularly in Pattaya I know maybe in Bangkok 

 

You need to live frugal !

 

 

Nothing wrong with living frugal. It can feel good to keep saving. But you've worked hard to get your super and if you wake up one morning and say Hey I'd rather that 50000 a month condo in Wongamat and nicer clothes and better healthier food then don't bull <deleted> yourself you don't want it and start spending. 

25 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

How do you spend 100k a month? not easy, maybe with family and school fees

One subset of people where 100,000 is not enough are those that would keep a presence in their home country, added travel costs, maintain first rate health insurance, and when in Thailand have additional expenses as they live more like a long term tourist who wants to enjoy retirement on those terms rather than someone who considers Thailand their home and settles down as such.  

28 minutes ago, susanlea said:

Which info did I twist? Is the house and car in your name? Does your wife pay half the food bills? 

So all relationships involve a bought relationship unless it's 50 50? Or is there a range of motivations based on a need for love, trust, and security to build a family and that is a normal relationship as compared to paying a lady for a half hour or a few days to hang out with you and have someone to eat with in Pattaya. 

I notice Trump supporters tend to see things in black and white rather than grey and that's how he tricks you. I mentioned Trump. 

50 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Most smoothies contain high fructose syrup which is why they taste nice, best avoided

Good tip. I always say no added anything. 

1 minute ago, susanlea said:

Peanuts are cheap enough but the others very expensive.

I like my nuts. Always seemed expensive in Thailand but reasonably priced at Macro e.g. big packs of almonds and cashews. 

Just now, georgegeorgia said:

And you even have the 2 poodles in a twin baby pram with pink & blue ribbons on their head .

I saw this a few weeks ago In a supermarket in Thailand, old bloke limping pushing a pram with 2 mutts in it treating them like his children, probably you BubbleBum 

What's wrong George. Thailand holiday was a dud and being back at work sucks. Feel good to go around trying to get revenge for some perceived slight with 10 different posters. Lets talk about it. Are you ok?

No offence but your budget sounds like a justification rather than something you'd like. Food budget low and likely not too healthy given you aren't cooking and living in hotels. Not much pleasure in it. Somehow finding free bikes and gyms and 120 baht massages with presumably no tip. I had an 80 baht coconut shake today because the 30 baht ones are mainly water with added sugar and watermelon gets old fast. 

14 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

You don't know why Biden "lied, but you definitely know that Trump lied.

Please explain why Biden's false statements are not lies, but Trumps are.  Why the double standards?

 

Over time one builds a picture. Biden does lie, gets confused, but it's not ongoing and consistent and often about silly or side issues - with important exceptions  such as his lie about no troops dying under his watch which was bizarre.

But you would have to admit Trump's lies are much more significant, consistent and really often totally embarrassing as his fans lap it up in a way Biden's supporters don't. Weird. Continuing to question the 2020 election for example is dangerous and important.

So in a black and white world every politician is a liar but in the actual world Trump is way way ahead of others in my opinion and those of most objective observers. 

With the current US political outlook I am happy I'm Australian where it's boring and mundane but somewhat respectful and sensible and with a belief in responsibility for actions and a belief in normal democratic principles.

1 hour ago, stoner said:

 

i think its more political ideology and confirmation bias @GammaGlobulin your thread.  he fumbled and mumbled so many times over the last year but it was all brushed off. met with the usual name calling and talking points.

 

but now what ? the whole system has been exposed. 

 

 

I don't think it's a system. Trumps people defend Trump's stupid stuff. Biden's people defend his. I watched a fair bit of CNN and CNBC on my lunch break over the last year or two and I can tell you Biden's age and whether he should run was discussed in detail. Not as much as on Fox I am guessing. Yes those stations don't like Trump and have a democratic and a democracy bias  but I say the narrative of some conspiracy wide system of protecting someone with a serious cognitive illness over a number of years is simply not true. 

There are lazy thais, and obnoxious thais, and tedious thais, and aggressive thais, and cringe Thais, and smart thais, and some girls who want your money.  Same as in Australia. If I had to summarise though thais are generally more friendly, do smile more, are more gentle, the women more feminine in a traditional sense, and maybe are a bit disassociated from the larger world, and put up with things that people from other countries and culture wouldn't put up with. Could be good and bad of buddhist culture and political and economic structure they are used to. 

5 minutes ago, susanlea said:

I knew, Tucker Carlson knew. Go look at some videos from pre 2020 election. Some of his speeches were bizarre then.

I think as a whole you are correct that people have been slow to act on something that you could see coming  - saw a Jimmy Kimmel interview last year and thought holy hell that was hard to follow - is this the guy till 2028. No way. 

14 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

This is something that needs to be repeated.  The media and the Democrats KNEW that Biden was ailing, and has been since the 2020 election. Yet they continued to gaslight the public, tell lies about his condition, and endangered the country. How many talking heads did you hear saying things like, "wow, I can't believe Biden's energy, I can barely keep up!" and "if you saw him behind the scenes at the White House, he was spending hours discussing policy and was razor sharp".

They were ALL lying.  It is a huge story and people need to be fired.

I concur that in 2024 he's an inappropriate candidate but this narrative that he's had dementia since 2019 and it was hidden I find disingenuous. Sometimes it's hard to see grey when black and white feel better but he was much much better in 2019 and it has seemingly been a slow and steady decline.

He has said some silly, inappropriate things and lost his way from time to time for many years but I think that was normal old age and I still don't think he has dementia but is an old guy who can't think fast and remember things fast like a younger person.

Imagine you had a week to participate in a debate and have your head around so many issues facts and figures  - it would be hard - but he is the President so no excuses. 

I have seen dementia - if he had it since 2019 he wouldn't be able to had done well what he did in 2019 nor would he be able to function as he can now despite that terrible debate appearance.

On 3/30/2024 at 1:28 PM, mfd101 said:

On 2 or 3 occasions in the last 2 years I have received queries from my various Oz financial institutions (including NAB) as to my tax status in Thailand. In (then) total ignorance of the Thai proposals & decisions to follow, I replied in each case (truthfully) that I don't have a TIN & I have no income sourced in Thailand ie all my income comes from Oz. At the time I thought that was an end of the matter.

 

In addition, for the last 4 or 5 years, without consultation the ATO has treated me as non-resident for tax purposes. Fair enough I guess, and it means I now have to pay additional tax (AUD8 or 9K) at the end of each FY as I have no 32% tax-free threshold.

 

My income is entirely Federal government public service superannuation (CSC/CSS - long-since closed).

 

Question: What happens when, later this year, I take out a TIN and prepare my first tax statement for Thailand starting 1Jan24? Noting the DTA, will that mean I cease to pay any Oz tax? And can I get refunded on the Oz tax I will already have paid from January this year? (Without knowing the likely Thai taxes I will have to pay it's hard to decide whether I'll be better off taxwise here, but I think with the ATO now swiping 32% of my total income I'm likely to be better off paying ONLY Thai tax.)

 

 

I have noted this in other posts I think but the post above notes that what they call civil service pensions - which I assume includes employee superannuation like the CSS and PSS pensions - are specifically excluded by the Double Tax Agreement and only taxable in the state that disperses them and are not taxable in Thailand. So that to me indicates you have been taxed correctly up till now and will not be taxed in Thailand on this income but not a bad idea to look into it further as the other poster says.

4 hours ago, bob smith said:

Just having a drink.

 

And no, I'm not taking a taxi home.

 

bob.

 

Losers say things like that. Are you a loser? Be better Bob. Be the best Bob you can be and maybe Thailand won't seem so bad. 

2 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

Regardless of whether you have a Thai tax file number or not, under the Australia/Thai DTA Oz CANNOT legally tax you, even at non resident rates as long as you are a resident for Thai taxation purposes (viz 180 days or more per calendar year). The DTA stipulates that ONLY the country where a person is a resident for tax purposes can tax that person, viz. Thailand. All you need to be able to do is prove to the ATO, preferably using a tax accountant who has full knowledge of the DTA, that you have been a Thai resident for tax purposes for those 4 or 5 years and submit a claim for a FULL refund of all taxes paid to the ATO during that period.  Earlier this year I telephoned a tax accountant in Melbourne who specialises in DTA's, with regards to my Oz Age pension to be told that even though it was tax free in Oz it was assessable income here in Thailand, and during that conversation he told me about one of his clients who had been living fulltime in Thailand for the previous 15 years and being taxed by the ATO at the Oz non-resident tax rate of 32,5% on his age pension. The accountant lodged a claim with the ATO making them aware that under the relevant section of the DTA that the ATO could not legally tax their client on any income as he was aThai resident for taxation purposes. The client received a FULL refund  of the tax paid over those 15 years. 

 

The thing to keep in mind is that as per several posts by Mike Lister, there is a full range of deductions that we can claim to reduce the actual assessable amount thus reducing the amount of tax payable if any. In my case those deductions will reduce the annual amount of my assessable income (age pension only) to below the 120,000 baht level thus resulting in my still having to lodge a tax return BUT not having to pay any tax whatsoever.  The other step yhou should take, via a tax accountant, is to have the ATO notified that your last tax return was your final one as you would not be returning to Australia.

I think you are mistaken i.e. if the income is sourced in Australia it may be taxable in Australia at non-resident rates e.g. the government super pension mentioned, rental income on Australian property, etc. Of course interest earned in Australia is still taxed at 10 per cent for non residents. You can likely get a tax credit for tax paid in the other country but the way your post reads is once you are a resident of Thailand and pay tax in Thailand on all income there is no tax to pay in Australia full stop. 

This post was quite good in the name of Dinga - it is  looking at the new tax rules for Thailand but discusses the Double Taxation Agreement and tax for non residents of Australia. 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1306896-thai-government-to-tax-remitted-income-from-abroad-for-tax-residents-starting-2024/page/282/

1 minute ago, Eric Loh said:

It is heartening to see that the family behibd him 100% to stay in the race and keep fighting. They know him better in terms of his mental capabilities and it was a resounding endorsement of him. Also notable is that top democrats stand united and urging the party to stand behind Biden. Key Democrat leaders vehemently reject calls for Biden to drop out of the race.This is the kind of party unity that will argurs well for the remaining 4 months of campaigning. They are re-energized, the supporters are not fazed by the debate disappointment and the donors recognized that Biden can still beat Trump. 

Eric I appreciate your sentiment and your loyalty but what is done can't be undone. That was beyond a bad day. There wasn't much enthusiasm for him before and we can't rely on he's not Trump to get past the finishing post.  

Wouldn't it be pro rata. So as long as you had in the bank you'll get the 1.5 per cent but each 6 months only. Paid monthly is probably more normal but how have you been ripped off. If you closed the account they'd probably credit you what you are owed unless it is like a term deposit with rules for taking funds out of the account. 

10 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

You have now taken my place detained in the view talay 2B and good on you ....now your getting bored 😀 and I'm bored with you ..

 

But you are right not working can lead to boredom. Friends and family aside I think it's a lot less boring here in low season than in Australia in Winter. So many more options that seem like more fun. Doing nothing is better in warm weather.