Lorry

555 Don't read my long explanation, then.

You are the second one who gets it wrong. The first one was Sheryl, so you are in good company. JimGant tried to correct her, see above. Here one more time: You comingle 2 different things: 1. WHO has to pay taxes? Most - actually almost all - countries say: everybody who lives in our country. We don't care about his nationality, we don't care he is a foreigner or not, we only care whether he lives here or not. This "lives" is called tax residence. It's usually defined as a stay inside the country of about 6 months or more (Thailand: 180 days or more in 1 calendar year, Vietnam: 183 days within 12 consecutive months, Taiwan: 183 days within a year). Some countries use a "domicile" as definition of living (Germany), some countries mix both definitions (Taiwan, UK). A citizen of this country doesn't have to pay income tax in his country if he doesn't have tax residence there. A Thai living in Taiwan doesn't have to pay Thai income tax (very different from the US: an American living in Taiwan still has to pay American income tax if there is no DTA). This is called a residence based tax system. From the map you can see, almost all countries use this. Similar maps have been posted several times in the tax threads. https://www.terratrends.net/features/2/005/tax-systems Some, very few, countries - basically the US and Eritrea - use a citizen based tax system: their citizens have to pay American/Eritrean income tax no matter where they reside, as long as they don't renounce their citizenship. 2. For WHAT do you have to pay taxes? A citizen based tax system obviously taxes worldwide income. Residence based tax systems come in 2 flavors: A territorial system only taxes income sourced in this country (Philippines work like this for foreigners). But most residence based tax systems tax worldwide income, once it has been established that you are a tax resident. So, to correct your post: Most countries DO tax global income - of tax residents.The US is the odd man out because it does require its CITIZENS to pay tax on global income, no matter where they reside.

All these people I mentioned (except the Russians ) typically live here on non-immigrant visa. Anyway, the new tax situation does not only apply to people holding a non immigrant visa. If Thailand taxes the global income of all it's tax residents, it does what most countries do. The map has been posted many times. (The odd man out regarding taxation is actually the US) Go to Vietnam, Germany, or the US on whatever visa, live there for more than 6 months (often for decades) and don't pay taxes. You will see where this will land you. And, no, you cannot own land in Vietnam as a foreigner if you pay taxes, you cannot vote for Biden or Trump because you pay US taxes, you do not get free healthcare in Germany because you pay German taxes. Most Westerners are here by their free will, because they get something in Thailand they didn't get at home - cheap prices, nice weather, beautiful girls or beautiful temples, whatever. Grow up and stop taking your cake and eating it!

I am not your maid, sorry.

What's wrong about calling a spade a spade? I can. Changes in the last 20 years: English courses for public servants, and English classes at school. It has become very easy to live in Thailand without a word of Thai. Call center, in English, of the State Railway of Thailand. They answer the phone and are competent. In my home country, this does not exist. Call center, in English, of Immigration. They answer the phone and are as competent as it gets at Immigration. I once tried to call Immigration at Seattle, in their native language, not in Thai. After 30 minutes of computer menus, my American friend took the phone. After 15 minutes more, he gave up. Tourist police nowadays often answer the phone and speak English. Online appointment system at Immigration. International departments at important government hospitals, can speak English, handle international insurances and repatriarions, understands the very special way of thinking of farang. Example: Vachira Phuket. I leave away BoI, one-stop service, LTR, WP related questions. I also leave away the private sector.

In that case, both countries will tax you according to their laws. This may lead to double taxation: the same income may be taxed twice. Some countries I couldn't find on the RDs list of DTAs: Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, Portugal, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Iran https://www.rd.go.th/english/766.html

Didn't he write he leaves the forum?

Russian IT professionals live here, work from home for Russian companies, get very good salaries and pay zero tax in Thailand. German pensioners live here, get their pensions tax free from Germany (according to DTA only Thailand can tax them) and pay zero tax in Thailand. They are completely untaxed. Absentee landlords live here, pay taxes for rentals not here (where they live) but abroad because of a more favorable tax regime there (e.g. can deduct renovation cost). Many Westerners fall under the threshold where they have to pay taxes in their home countries, often pretending they are still living there. These thresholds are quite high in the West because the minimum income needed to exist there is high. But they live in Thailand, enjoying the low minimum needed to exist. They don't see that accordingly the minimum threshold to pay taxes is low. I know people living on 20-30,000 baht. Told to be careful about Thai taxes the answer is "I fall under the threshold in my home country" (which they haven't seen for decades). In my home country, dividends and interest are tax-free for non-residents. In theory, one should include them in a Thai tax return. These are just some examples that come to mind immediately. I am all for taxing these people. But not me, please!

Correct. But if the infection is in the prostate, a normal urin culture may be negative. In that case you should do a urin culture after a prostate massage. 2 doctors who do prostate massage: https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/wadchara-pumpradit https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/umaphorn-nuanthaisong https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/doctor/dr-umaphorn-nuanthaisong#appointment https://www.sukumvithospital.com/doctorprofile.php?id=188&lang=en

You can apply the DTA to the taxes you pay in your home country. Depending on individual circumstances, this may save you money.

The latest thread is very old, and my latest personal experience is equally old. GF has passport, but I am wondering about the legality of unmarried sex. How is the situation now? Any problems to be expected for unmarried couples?

As for sitting ducks: the Russians (and Ukrainians) here are an even easier target than a poor British pensioner. They have money and nowhere to run (Bali is not so keen on them anymore). And if Thailand is lucky they may be joined soon by Taiwanese, Lithuanians .... etc

I have never believed that. We are the target, as I have written before. We are sitting ducks, as dogmatix explained. That's why they are sitting ducks. How many times have people written on this forum: never bring more to Thailand than you can afford to lose. They do. And they will pay. Every bar girl knows how to squeeze a foreigner dry. The point where he really is not able to pay any more is usually far away.

I have never seen an Australian travel insurance policy, but I can tell you that European travel insurances do cover trips into one's country of nationality. It was not always like this, iirc the law was changed after a law suit (i could be wrong here). It's definitely a good idea to look into it more closely. Pancreatic stones and operations in her medical history make most Thai insurances useless (if they would accept her at all). You cannot hide this, the scars (inside, too) are too obvious and it will be mentioned in any medical report. If she can get into Vachira through the 30B- scheme, that would be good enough. Bangkok Phuket Hospital isn't necessarily so much better, especially when it comes to pancreatic surgery.

I have seen people say that but one of my banks overseas confirmed it was not the case. @Dogmatixis right, credit card and ATM transactions have nothing to do with CRS

Yeah, many visitors to Pattaya or Phuket spend most of their time here countering the risk of heatstroke

Wait and see, and as long as I wait and see I will only stay here 179 days per year. Like Sheryl, I wouldn't have much taxes to pay, but I don't fancy another bureaucracy. Immigration, DLT, banks and airlines are enough. And anyway, 4 months per year I have to be out of Thailand anyway, because I like to breathe air. So I just make it 6 months abroad.

I have recommended fragrance free soap to various girls. Impossible to find at 7/11 or (a long time ago) Carrefour (didn't look at Tesco) I have seen Sebamed products at BigC, very unpopular here for lack of chemical smell, so maybe discontinued Bodyshop Sukhumvit Soi 19 inside Robinson had a sale a couple of weeks ago. But afaik Bodyshop will fold in Thailand (doesn't surprise me - not enough chemicals)

I know many people who live on non-assessable income (one guy lives on gifts from his TGF) or on savings they have inside Thailand (the RD does not automatically see this). I always tell them to remit some assessable income, so that it might be possible to live on this, e.g. 50,000 per month. A problem is that people have varying ideas of what a foreigner needs to survive. Whereas Thais survive on less than 10,000, I have known people explaining to me that it is impossible to live on less than 600,000 per month

Nice to know

That's the obvious way, and you can be sure some RD offices will want all this. Other RD offices have told taxpayers translation into English would be enough, no stamps needed. You will get answers not earlier than mid 2025, when the first batch of foreigners hs filed taxes and the RD will brood over it.

In one kind of mutual funds I am familiar with, HNW means just 500,000 baht minimum purchase

Yes. Treading on very thin ice. The family whose "dad is ok" serves as a very clear warning that things here may not be what they seem. The rule here is: Always be very nice and friendly to your enemies!

You assume wrong. As @VBFpointed out, Belgian privacy laws prohibit divulging the fact that you are unfit to fly to airlines or airport authorities/ airport security (medisch geheim). Even in Thailand this would not happen. You are free to take any flight you wish and bear the consequences, which might be - you die on the flight - you suffer from a medical emergency on the flight. If serious the plane will land at the nearest airport ("diversion"), e.g. Kabul, you will be sent to a hospital there, and the other 300 passengers will lose connecting flights. The airline may book them new flights and if they discover that you were unfit to fly they might sue you for the cost of all this (let's say 100,000 €).

Every single condo in my neighborhood has big signs in the lobby that short time rentals are illegal and will be punished. And if a foreigner asks whether rooms are avalable the answer is not "yes" or "no", the answer is "one year contract!!!" But the signs are only in Thai, English and Chinese, they are not in Indian. BTW the signs are not in Koren either, that explains why I see so many Korean tourists checking in and out at these condos :)