nigelforbes

Minimal, yes, 10%, NO. 20k baht should show good faith.

You need to do some reading and learn about Bill Henecke. He started off with nothing and built a multi billion dollar global conglomerate, from scratch. He relinquished his US citizenship and became a Thai national. What he did, his efforts, were remarkable, he is however sadly wrong on this particular point.

Have you ever come across a Thai person who pays a deposit on a real estate transaction, I haven't. But there again, I've not may Thai's who use agents to buy and sell property and pay commissions! OP - DO NOT pay a deposit, not under any circumstances, I'm afraid to say the agent (and probably the buyer) saw you coming.

Implement a foreigner air breathing tax and be done with it, charge by the lungful or the minute, no matter. Estimated deposits calculated on arrival, all cards accepted, enjoy your stay.

Soooo, a 300 baht per night tax on hotel rooms for foreigners, a 300 baht tourist tax to enter the country, a 150%-300% uplift on medical charges for foreigners, a 500% uplift on entry fees for foreigners into national parks, How long I wonder before Noi on Beach Road starts consulting her GDP tables and demands a surcharge based on country of origin! In fact that already happens with the Japanese does it not.

It is customary for the buyer and seller to agree on who pays the Land Office charges at the time the sales price is agreed. It is not necessary or even advisable to give a deposit, especially in todays market. Pay the entire amount at the Land Office. You want to see the channote before hand, end of story. If their is a lien or a bank loan/charge on the property it will be shown on the back of the channote. If the seller wont show it to you, tell him to get stuffed and buy something else. The agent wants the deposit because they want their fee early, tell them to get stuffed. I wont even go into where or what you are buying, given the various threads you have started over the past month, taking advise doesn't seem to be one of your strengths.

It doesn't matter whether you take salary or dividend, the rate of taxation is the same. In your example, if the company doesn't have any income for a year, it can't pay you a salary and you can't take a dividend hence tax is not an issue because you didn't earn anything. Reading between the lines and forgive me if I've read this wrong: you appear to want to set up a Thai company using your children and family as Directors. That Thai company then offers you a job and provides you with a work permit. In order to do that you would need to capitalize the company and probably show that the job could not be filled by Thai nationals and that only specialized expatriates can. I don't know for absolute certain but for me that scenario doesn't pass the sniff test and I doubt it will pass anybody else's test. Perhaps think of a plan B?

As said earlier, the banks will not sell first issue bonds to foreigners, I've tried, so have others, this has been a major stumbling block in trying to apply fir the new long term visa. Foreigners can buy on the secondary market BUT only through a broker, there is no alternative to this. I tried to buy investment funds here but UOBAM said I could only do so via a broker and they were happy to make the introduction. I should point out that I am a long standing customer of UOB Thai and UOBAM and hold other instruments and products issued by them. When I changed banks very recently and moved to Bangkok Bank I had the same discussion with them about all these things. Their reply in every instance was, must have a broker. If you've been able to get through the maze without needing a broker, great, well done.

Click on the link that I posted above and go through the setup procedure and read the agreement.

A couple of things: You will require a Thai ID to open a trading account. You will have to appoint a Thai broker to act on your behalf. The costs and charges will far outweigh any benefits of trading offshore. https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Digital-Banking/Bualuang-mBanking/How-to-Use/Securities-Trading-Account

Nonsense

Thai insurance rules are very different from the West, policies can be cancelled just because you made a claim and premiums can be increased for the same reason. I get nervous about smaller health insurance companies, if you do some digging, as I have, you'll avoid most of them like the plague because it's almost impossible to claim on their policies. Your best bet is to get an international policy with a firm such as CIGNA or similar and restrict it just to Thailand. Also, out patient insurance costs make many policies very expensive so you may wish to just go with in patient only. Lastly, it's not clear to me whether insurance brokers here sell anything other than Thai based insurance company policies rather than international policies issued in the UK, it would be good to check. Lastly lastly, be prepared to have lots of insurance brokers contact you, there's a million of them here!

Sad, he should know better than to propagate two tier pricing.

A couple of things to look into when you're trying to decide: If the company is not a well known global brand, who are the underwriters. Even if using a global name, is your policy issued and governed in Thailand or back in the UK (much more preferable).

The prices vary massively from location to location and also by the type of lens you buy. Even within Essilor there's a number of different grades of lens. There's a huge number of companies operating in the same space which means it is very very profitable. Foreigners rarely see the same prices offered to Thai people who typically buy a different brand and quality of lens entirely. If you pressure the shop assistants sometimes they will let you have access to that level but of course that means less commission.

I just heard it's closed this year whilst they let the marine life recover....marin, tell 'em it's closed and they can't go there.

Only people who don't understand English!

Your answer is only partially correct. The wine is indeed made in Australia but because it is a fruit wine it is blended in Asia, typically in Vietnam. Fruit wines became fashionable here because there is a tax advantage when they are imported. They aren't blended in Oz but they are blended in Vietnam before they are imported here. Read the link a few posts above to understand that process.

Photochromic. Also known as adaptive or transition.

Is the wrong answer! Progressive lens are often called varifocals, they are like bi-focals but there's a seamless transition between near and far.

The beach at the Sattahip Naval Station DOES allow foreigners and it's one of the nicest places we've come across, easily accessible from Pattaya. Good sandy beach, unspoilt cove, really desert island like. It's called Sai Kaew Beach.

Figure around 9k for Essilor.

I've yet to come across a box wine in Thailand that I would rate higher than barely drinkable and I'm no wine snob. The fact is, most of them are useful for degreasing engine parts and little more. In the US the beer and wine industry is very clear on this subject. If you want something to get you high or get you drunk inexpensively, buy MD20/20 or Boones Farm but don't ever try to call either of them decent or good wines because everyone else on the planet knows they are not. An inexpensive French table wine might be described as good from time to time but not something that is nothing more than enhanced fruit juice. Read the link below if you want to understand more about fruit wines in Thailand, it'll change your mine in a hurry. https://www.wineandabout.com/business/fruit-appearing-shelves/

mispost

The expanding foam may be useful for protection against water leaks but it's not that great for insulation against heat......been there, done that. The foam is applied quite thinly, even if it was a couple of inches thick, it will be defeated within a couple of hours if the roof tiles are made from concrete. A better solution perhaps might be a radiant barrier combined with good ventilation, the barrier can be retrofitted in many cases, if the house is already built. Ventilation is the most useful item, vented soffit boards provide a good source for cooler air intake, as long as there's a source of hot air out, preferably at the peak or gable. In either case, attic ceiling insulation will help prevent heat penetration into the living space.