Lorry

Bangkok Post reports today that demand for condos from foreigners is on the rise. Notwithstanding taxes. 50% of foreign buyers are Chinese.

Genki UG (haftungsbeschränkt) is a start-up, founded in 2021. https://www.webvalid.de/company/Genki+UG+(haftungsbeschränkt),+Köln/HRB+106969 The link is in German as it is a German company. "Genki is a start-up" as they say on their website https://genki.world/about (scroll to "Our Insurance", read the 3rd paragraph) Genki is not the same company as Dr Walter or as Barmenia or Gothaer, all these have been around for much longer. Barmenia and Gothaer are domestic insurance companies, not only for health insurance. Dr Walter is a broker specializing in expat insurances. If you go through their 40plus pages of "consumer conditions", versus the end you find their assistance companies (I copied them from there in my first post). Dr Walter doesn't handle claims. Assistance companies do. But in the end it's the underwriter who decides. Of course, the underwriter will only be bothered for really expensive things, e.g. intercontinental medevacs.

???

Substract one or two years of covid

Actually, it's a well known story

How??? This is a start-up, founded in 2021 during covid. How can there be experience? They are a broker, you can google their managing directors. Dr Walter is another broker (a big one, specializes in expat insurance for many years), so they are really a sub-broker. These new products target young, healthy, educated people ("digital nomads") - the most profitable group to sell health insurance to. The people you will really have contact with when you are sick (and who handle your claims) are their assistance companies: "EuropAssistanceSA, Niederlassung für Deutschland, Global ExcelManagement Inc. GMMI, Inc., International SOSB.V., International SOSGmbH,MDMedicusAssistanceServiceGmbH" That's a very mixed bag, without going into details. They certainly have direct payment agreements with all major private hospitals in Thailand. The people who pay the money are Barmenia, that's a good German insurance. Gothaer is very good. I copy from their insurance conditions (you find them as the second part of their "consumer conditions"-pdf): "Thepolicyprovisions arewritten inGerman. Anycommunicationduring the termof the insurance will alsobe inGerman. If documents areprovided inEnglish, this is tobeunderstoodas a serviceof the insurer, whichhas noeffect on theagreedcontract language." "The insurancecontract is subject toGerman law." I take it your German is good enough even when you are sick, and that you have a basic understanding of continental European law. Funnily, I couldn't find their T&Cs in German.

They may not "unilaterally ditch DTAs". They may introduce so much red tape (if you want to apply a DTA) that you may prefer to pay tax. Just the obvious requirements that some tax offices may require: get your foreign tax return translated into Thai by a certified translator, get it stamped by the Thai embassy, your country's embassy here and the MFA. I'd rather pay 5000 baht tax. BTW obviously, the TRD wil use the Thai version of the DTA. We have seen, in the video from the French embassy, that this may not be how foreigners understand the foreign version. Have fun!

Exactly the same experience, 3 years ago.

PS always in Bangkok, like DrJack

No. Never been asked for it. Yes. I have never had a TM30 stapled in my passport, didn't know people do that.

Reminds me of a Chinese commercial for the Maldives: selling point was the sea food.

I agree. I spent the last 2 days figuring out cash flows between my own accounts, after 2 days I myself finally understood them. I am sure the TRD is not interested in listening to my explanations. They will use some kind of simplified rules. But we don't know the rules they will use.

I find it disconcerting that they don't even bother to publish results after more than 119 days. That's just 4 months. A well informed friend of mine (over 70, overweight, diabetes) really gets vaccinated every 3 or 6 months - I forgot which number, I find both numbers very frequent. I haven't followed the subject for a while, so 2 questions if you happen to know the answers: How long does the protection from vaccines against hospitalisation and death last? They used to say (1 or 2 years ago) this would be long-lasting. I have read that there is no reason not to get a vaccine every 6 or even 3 months. Do you know anything about this? Thx

I agree 100%. What you describe here is absolutely correct. Thai cancer patients die in agony, without efficient pain killers. Thai friends have asked me more than once how to help a relative who is in pain. All they get is paracetamol. In the villages, not even Ultracet or Tramadol. It's a shame. There is a little bit of progress, some hospitals offer palliative inpatient care nowadays. Sheryl sometimes gives good updates. But that's not in the villages, and even in Bangkok very, very little.

A friend got his pink ID one year before he got his TIN - different numbers. Maybe you get the same numbers if you show the tax office your pink card? He didn't do that.

For some foreigners it's the same number, for some it's a completely different number. I have no idea why.

So, in order to maximize revenue from the DTV, it would be logical not to offer that kind of cheap visa anymore. They will review this in/by September

We are being told Thailand has deflation, prices are supposedly sinking.

Probably. So what?

He said he doesn't need prostitutes.

My main point was Can anybody confirm that immigration is calling/notifying Immigration lawyers that from Jan 1st you need a tax declaration to extend your visa ?

You mean the one near Ramkhamhaeng? The National Stadium is at Siam

According to Mario, immigration is calling all lawyers who deal with immigration, to notify them about these changes. (That's what he says his lawyer told him. That lawyer is dpgermanthai.com, I recommend visiting the website to get an impression.) I doubt this, but anyway: can anybody confirm this? Has anybody's lawyer been called? According to Mario, his lawyer offers a package price of 40,000 (Baht, not dollars) to get a TIN and file taxes. Only getting a TIN or other simpler things would maybe cost 10,000 or 20,000. If your local revenue office doesn't want to issue a TIN, the law firm would send someone to help you get it. BTW I watched part of another of Mario's videos. I don't think I have to watch more.

Not all were grandfathered. Only those who had had continuous visa extensions for 6 years already. (I could be wrong about the exact number of years)

To see if there is any result