nigelforbes

Nor in Mae Rim! Large puncture wound to foot, treated at local hospital, anesthetic to probe wound for debris, Tetanus Shot, dressings, 179 baht! I expected 6k. Replace dressing every day and inspect for infection, 79 baht. An outstanding surgical nurse, great English and personality, everyone very professional, hospital decor OK+, ER a bit like a battle zone and a short wait, but OK. One of my better medical experiences here.

Here's a better one: https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/dxy

Maybe a dashboard will help some better understand what the bigger picture looks like: https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/exports https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/gdp-growth-annual https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/foreign-direct-investment https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/current-account https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/tourist-arrivals https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/dxy

Nope, the Dollar is strengthening on the back of new inflation concerns:

I agree. Bike riders don't see from their level, the views I have from my truck, all they know is that they got through OK. What they don't see is how close they came to being squished and just how lucky they were. It's reality TV from inside the safety of a Vigo. Anyone who rides a bike here must be nuts, sorry, but the accident, the fatalities and the things I see every day, support that 100%, I don't care how experienced you are. The problem usually of course is not so much you and your skill, although some bike riders are just plain stupid, the problem is everyone else. We watch the newbie skin white tourists on their Honda Clicks, driving up the 107 on their way to Pai every day. She's on the back, playing with her phone, he's driving like he's driving through the Cotswolds, we usually wonder how far they will get in one piece.

Yes, there is a car ferry from Singapore to Bintan Island and then onwards.

Then she can join the list of foreigners who don't pay their hospital bills and who are responsible for the next arrival or departure tax/surcharge that everyone has to pay!

If you are operating a legitimate company, you can offset those taxes against any profit to reduce your tax bill. If however you are using the company solely to own your house, that's the price you have to pay! The tax paid on bank accounts can mostly be recovered, only the 5% tax on LTF early redemption cannot.

I have read previously that the laws governing emergency care in Thailand are not very different, emergency care treatment must be provided at government hospitals, regardless of nationality or the ability to pay. The requirement may be different at private hospitals, I do not know, they are after all, private businesses, first and foremost.

Emergency medical care is free to everyone, any care beyond that is potentially chargeable, for non-residents.

It would be good to know what is included in the total, perhaps the damage to the bike is in there also. Another poster recently reported that he was taken into a large private hospital with acute pneumonia and stayed for three days before being transferred to a government hospital, his outstanding bill for the three days is 340k Baht. That cost makes no sense to me since I had a coronary stent inserted at Bangkok's best known private hospital for half that cost.

Goodbye Ikke

The wifes mum's looking for work, you got a phone number?

US SSc payments are exempt from Thai tax by treaty, it doesn't matter when they are sent.

Nobody suggested that, perhaps you dreamed it! All I said was that the tourist tax is going to help offset unpaid hospital bills created by foreigners, surely that's simple enough to understand without getting confused and going off at a tangent!

You'll forgive me I hope for saying this ikke but you seem to have all the problems rolled into a ball so tightly that you can no longer separate them to find answers, it's all just one big mess for you. Economics is not just about big business, it's about everyone in the economy from the bar girl to the Chairman, I don't focus on big business more than I do on any other component of the economy. You talked before about your orchid business, strong vs week USD, then you talked about the cost of retiring here, now you're talking about families here and visa's and ghost shops in Hua Hin. It's difficult for me to find your starting point, or what the real issue is. Other posters were talking a few days ago about how busy Hua Hin is, we're visiting in two weeks time so we've been trying to book hotels, the prices suggest things are very busy so I don't know what you;re seeing or why!

That's your problem ikke, you think this is a competition that you have to win. It's not, it's about establishing fact, cause and effect, your starting point is whatever your answer is, then you look at the data and ignore it because you like your original answer!

The last time the Departure Tax was increased was in 2014, domestic went from 100 to 200 which was still below the full cost recovery level to operate the airports that AOT manage....that cost in 2014 was 336 baht per domestic passenger. The international charge has remained at 700 since February 2007. Much more than that....dunno, sorry.

You seem to view the elections as a vehicle for removing repression that doesn't exist. The elections are not about removing repression nor anything related, this is not Myanmar.

Everyone pays VAT which is the country's largest source of tax revenue, only about 5% of the population pays tax via a tax return. I think the idea that the 300 baht is going to be skimmed or forms a part of corruption is simply incorrect, although I understand how some people want to jump to that conclusion. Thailand spends more than it makes every year, it has constantly run a budget deficit for the past few years. The numbers are still small, government debt is still only 60% of GDP BUT it is rising year on year and the expense of subsidies under covid made a big dent in spending. The government wants to head off the rise in health care spending, plus it can use money in loads of other areas that form part of the budget. I seriously doubt that any tourist attractions will be improved as a result of the new levy, in a couple of years, everyone will have forgotten what it was for. The rest of the money will go into the general pot and it will be spent within the economy, but it's purpose is not to buy villa's and merc's for the elite, that's just plain crazy.

I think some of you are missing the point. The cost of maintaining the Public Health system is rising rapidly, the population is ageing and operating costs increase year on year. Tackling bad debt is important, it doesn't matter that Burmese or other Asians are the cause of the debt, those are workers that can't afford to pay so somebody else has to pay. There is no doubt that some Westerners have skipped out on medical bills, that and the fact they can easily afford the 300 Baht is all that is needed for holiday makers to make the connection between the two things. There's no point in debating whether it's fair or not, being fair doesn't enter into the equation.

Burmese, not Thai's.

Click on Max and it goes down even further, the economy dipped from 1995 until 2010, was that also Prayut's fault! It only goes to prove that the Asian Crisis in 1997 had a profound effect on the Thai economy that took many years before it reached any kind of norm. There's also the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 , Sub Prime in 2012 and Taper Tantrum in 2013, all of which had a profound effect on the Thai economy. All events that were outside of Thai control but events they had to manage......especially EM taper tantrum, that was was Prayut inherited. You really need to brush up on your global economics rather than trying to blame the Thai military for everything, why not blame them for global warming also!

The facts do not agree with your comments: https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/tourist-arrivals https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/gdp-growth-annual https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/current-account

Every 6k for me, they call me Mr oil change at the dealership...:) I leave the choice up to them, it is after all a Toyota dealership, if they don't know I certainly don't. Seriously, the one good thing you can do for your ride is to change the oil often, it doesn't cost a fortune and it does extend engine life. The manager pulled me aside last oil change and talked in hushed tones, I thought he was going to try and sell me crack! Have something special for you, new, from Saharat......looking through his phone he proudly found a picture of it, 750 baht, good for 10k kms....STP engine oil treatment....hahahah, pass but thanks I said..