chiang mai

That wouldn't explain the drones seen over UK sites.

The current year changes were gazetted on 3 December 2024: https://sherrings.com/personal-tax-deductions-allowances-thailand.html

It's interesting that the BMA would publish a tax guide for foreigners, (linked below), less than a year before the announcement about the Revenue Dept's tax change. Was this coincidence or by design I wonder? Either way, the BMA obviously thought it was time they put something in print about income tax for foreigners so they have to be applauded for taking the imitative. https://iao.bangkok.go.th/storage/files/Personal Income Tax.pdf

Yes, we had that discussion yesterday and readers asked to ignore the article. That said, it appears to be dated 2022 so the BMA appears to have been preempting something.

An interesting statement in todays Bangkok Post in the interview with the Finance Minister: He said although Thailand's top personal income tax rate is 35%, research shows the effective rate, after accounting for various exemptions and deductions, is only around 10% for those at the top rate, not the full 35%. Please credit and share this article with others using this link: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/2920475/a-taxing-question. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Bangkok Post PCL. All rights reserved.

Not enough "things", apparently!

Are any other countries reporting similar or is it just UK and USA? If not, it would point at Russia and the Ukraine. The White House says: He gave some clarification, however, as to why all of this seemed to be happening all of a sudden. 'In September of 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA, changed the rules so that drones could fly at night,' Mayorkas said. 'And that may be one of the reasons why now people are seeing more drones than they did before, especially from dawn to dusk.'

Because they might be more easily identified in the day time? Because they can't (easily) see what they want to see in daylight? So as not to scare people? I rate this a low possibility since they are just as easily seen at night.

But large numbers of similar drones are also being seen, at night, over UK locations, specifically the US air force base at Mildenhall.

I don't know how true that is, the fact is that Thai people understand they are in the tax system and they have many sources from which to easily obtain information. Foreigners on the other hand, many think they are outside the system (at least they did) and there wasn't too much out there for them to read and understand about Thai tax. Of course, all that has changed now and there is a wealth of information, from very reliable sources such as PWC, KPMG, Sherrings and Mazars and of course, from the TRD themselves, Nearly all of that has come about in the past year so it's no wonder there are lots of foreigners who are going through steep learning curves and for whom news of this is a shock.

For those who can't see the word pension included in the Category 1 income description, here's the legal interpretation from Thai legal sources: "Assessable income is income of the following categories including any amount of tax paid by the payer of income or by any other person on behalf of a taxpayer. Income derived from employment, whether in the form of salary, wage, per diem, bonus, bounty, gratuity, pension, house rent allowance, monetary value of rent-free residence provided by an employer, payment of debt liability of an employee made by an employer, or any money, property or benefit derived from employment". https://library.siam-legal.com/thai-law/revenue-code-assessable-income-and-income-tax-sections-40-64/ As you can see, income from employment doesn't specifically state "pensions" are included but it doesn't specifically state bonuses, per diem, or benefits in kind and any related allowances are included either....but they are.

I doubt very much that many Thai people will be nervously and expectantly asking when the new tax forms will be released. most would probably ask what that is!

The word pension doesn't need to be mentioned specifically, it is covered by the high level statement. "income from personal services rendered to employers;" ....... is the broadest highest level statement which includes everything related to having a job and being paid for doing work. Page 11 of the PWC tax handbook explains it better than the RD code, which is translated from Thai and loses some definition in the translation. https://www.pwc.com/th/en/tax/assets/thai-tax/thai-tax-booklet-2022-23.pdf

Make up your mind, previously you said, "(I assume they mean rendered by employers and not to)" The State Pension has been explained to you already, what don't you understand?

No, rendered to employers, an employee renders their services to their employer, in return for remuneration. Most people work for employers and pay NI contributions, which entitles them to a state pension when they retire, that was certainly the predominant model when the system was first established. The fact that people today can pay voluntary contributions is a function of the way the system has changed over time but the original model was intended to be based on working in employment. Regardless, that's the way it is regarded today, like it or not.

Pensions are Category 1 income, they are deemed to be a part of employment.

I can't recall what I had for lunch yesterday! 🙂 Sorry, no I don't.

But the banks are BOT agents, assigned to execute BOT policy.

Don't know about Wise. The transfers should all state the purpose as buying property If the purpose was living expenses, that money is deemed spent.

Yes they will, it's not uncommon

Yes it is out of date, apologies, please disregard

Specifically which ones

I came across the following which you may find useful. Some people have said that the TRD has not said anything about the new tax rules but the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has and they have gone to the trouble of producing a guide, specifically for foreigners. https://iao.bangkok.go.th/storage/files/Personal Income Tax.pdf

A sole account, by definition, is only ever a single signature. The fact the account holder adds a second signer doesn't change that. A sole account that required two signatures would not be permitted since it would no longer be a sole account.

No I was not! As explained previously, an "either/or" account is effectively two separate accounts, both bearing the same account number and book. The account must be applied for by each party completing an application form in full. Both parties have ownership of the account but responsibility for tax is assigned to just one party at the outset. Bothe parties may operate the account independently of the other, except if the account is closed when both parties must sign. What you described is a third party having withdrawal privileges on an account but they have no ownership rights to the account.