Flyguy330

On 1/6/2024 at 4:21 PM, mikebike said:

You DO realize that "they" can also do this on every modern ICE vehicle also, right? 

EVERY?

Not on mine mate.

Easily avoided.

On 1/6/2024 at 5:43 PM, Gweiloman said:

If only the 2019 riots in HKG could have been explained so simplistically as you have posted. It started based in part on the proposed extradition law to close a loophole that till today, allows a self confessed murderer to continue to roam the streets of HKG. One western country, no need to say who, exploited the situation to try and cause further chaos.

If I'm guilty of oversimplifying then you are too. There were street protests in Hong Kong pre 2019, pre the extradition case you refer to. There were years long sit-ins at various protest points in the city even before that. The extradition case was a final straw for the population after the CCP had already illegally abducted numerous book sellers in the city and tortured them in Chinese prisons without any charge or due process, because they printed books critical of the CCP and revealed their leaders corruption. Jimmy Lai is currently on trial in Hong Kong for the crime of publishing such critical news.

Even a murderer is entitled to due process if extradited. If not, that leaves you, and everyone else, exposed to arbitrary arrest and imprisonment by tyrants.

You hint at 'foreign interference' which is a trope straight out of the CCP playbook. I consider it the greatest insult of all because it proposes that the hundreds of thousands of intelligent Hong Kong'ers who peacefully protested on the streets of the city in July 2019 were all 'dupes' and only there because they'd been fooled by 'foreign influence'. Your lack of understanding of the daily problems those people faced shows your ignorance of life in the city and its realities. The broken CCP promises and undertakings of independence and free elections in Hong Kong were primary motivators for the protests.

The master of 'foreign influence' is of course none other than the CCP itself. It never stopped interfering after 1997.

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I have family that’s living and working in HKG for the last 25 years.

I have friends who still work there and I was out for drinks on Friday night with one of them. He described the many shops which are still shuttered in the city centre - in a town where shop rents were always sky high. Now they can't find tenants. Schools which once had lengthy waiting lists are now closing through lack of pupils. The population has fallen. People are voting with their feet - especially the expat banking and finance community, they are all moving to Singapore. The CCP wants to run Hong Kong down, so its fine with them. They prefer Shanghai as their business and finance centre. It's a shame.

Quote

Yes, things have changed but is nowhere near as draconian as you make out.

Tell that to these folks:
3,300 protestors still on remand in Hong Kong, 265 jailed.

21 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

I also find it perplexing that many of the zealots will decry male anal sex as a sin, whereas the biggest market for female anal porn is from men!

That's an interesting point, because the increased volume of male/female anal in what I'd call mainstream porn is quite a noticeable trend. It's got to the point now where a porn movie isn't 'legit' unless there's an anal scene in it. The poor porno model girls have had to go along with it I guess, only a few seem to refuse to do it. You never see it in their movies.  I'd guess that many of them just don't like it (pain) and many of them are worried about the future incontinence issues they'll probably suffer from. Meanwhile the crazies are out there too, taking 2 or 3 up the ass at the same time. I often think they have to be stoned to do it.

I've tried anal with a girlfriend. She didn't enjoy it, and neither did I. The feeling for me was like having a tight elastic band rolled up and down your cock, and none of the full length gripping/massaging of vaginal sex.

I think the attraction for many guys watching it is the violent side of it. The anus is not designed to have things shoved up it, quite the opposite. The viewing 'thrill' seems to be all about that 'forced entry' angle. Kinda rapey in a way.

I also have my suspicions that a lot of the porno producers/directors are gays, and this plays into their desire for the normalisation of anal sex in the mainstream too. They're probably the types who will happily tell you that there's a 'big market' for it, and if you enjoy watching/doing anal sex you are really a closet bi or gay yourself.

I'm sure you know that many countries are still not open to gayness in their population? Indeed in many it could mean a death sentence.

Even in Western nations which are supposedly 'enlightened' there are still plenty of events of gay bashing. And that's just the visible 'headline news' prejudice.

I would still love my son, but would fear for him. But so what? I'm just one person - don't draw societal conclusions from my reaction.

Try to focus on 'the big picture'.

I'm interested in this issue on a more scientific level, as in, what is the evolutionary benefit of homosexuality? Since male/male sex does not lead to reproduction, how can a 'gene for gayness' be passed on? One of the central arguments gays make is that they didn't choose to be gay, that it is biologically 'forced' on them, ergo it is 'natural'. So it's genetic in nature.

There is clear evidence of homosexuality dating back to the dawn of civilisation. But if its genetic, but cannot reproduce itself, how does it get passed on over millenia? Evolution has pretty effective methods of eliminating 'unproductive traits' from the genome, naturally. One postulation is that it is a mutation, a kind of glitch, which is in fact the very essence of the evolutionary process. But why would this 'glitch' keep recurring with such high frequency in the population? Is there a statistical method which can identify how often a mutation would occur in a population? Does it add up with the mutation theory for gayness?  

If it is not a statistically explicable genetic mutation 'event', what is it? 

I've read some recent theories which put a more 'social' causation on gayness. The theory says that low status males could raise their status in certain communities by being gay, or at least swinging both ways. But the problem I see with that argument is that it means the inferred conclusion that gayness is in fact a 'lifestyle choice', and not a natural imperative.

I once asked this question of a gay acquaintance of mine. What do you think made you gay? He burst into tears and yelled 'I didn't choose this life'. So I believe him. I believe he can't help himself. I don't have a problem with it - in fact, after that encounter, I can feel nothing but pity for gays. That's why I would not be happy with my son being gay - because it results in a lot of prejudice and aggro, and leads to a more difficult and unhappy existence.

I bought one when after my car battery was accidentally drained while out shopping (wife left sidelights on in carpark). I used it once after that to start a friends car. Worked great. But I left it in the boot afterward and forgot about it. A neighbour recently asked me to jump start him. I dug out the gizmo, but found it was flat too. So they work great, but you need to remember to check em every few months to be sure you have charge remaining.

19 hours ago, morg said:

I rent property in UK will I have to pay tax

 

Do you pay tax in the UK on your rental income?

Can you produce documentation showing how much you've paid?

Are you going to remit that taxed rental income to Thailand?

If your answers are all YES then you shouldn't have to pay tax in Thailand because the UK has a DTA and you've already been taxed there.

If your answers are NO (but you do remit the money to Thailand) then you may be facing tax in Thailand on that remittance - if they go ahead with this new law in Jan 2024.

7 hours ago, Jingthing said:

An interesting perspective.

Expats are confused?

You think? 

 

 

 

I get this guys emails on a near daily basis. That's really too often IMHO.

Last week he sent one out reccomending Malaysia as a retirement destination - fair enough. But one of the points made was 'Pensions are not taxed in Malaysia'.

If you're a Malaysian receiving a Malaysian pension that may be true. But his emails are aimed at Expats. Expat pensions being remitted to Malaysia are NOT tax exempt, as he sweepingly stated. They MAY be tax exempt under certain conditions, primarily if they've ALREADY been taxed in a DTA partner nation.

I wrote to him pointing this out.

Still waiting on a retraction or correction.

8 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

 

Anurak has a positive meaning something like conservation.

Maybe in Thai.

But in the UK/IRL it has a rather different translation.

Maybe you're not a Brit and don't get that.

Lighten up FFS.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

For my own reasons of leaving my homeland (Ireland) for SE Asia, I'd say - All Of The Above. But to be more specific;

• Weather features highly. I always detested the cold damp climate, the early evenings and freezing mornings.
• Next, Tax. Tax. TAX. In my job I was taxed until I bled. PAYE Tax (42%+). Then VAT (26%+). PRSI (Social Welfare Charges 10%+). Outrageous Stamp Duties, Capital Gains Taxes, huge VRT taxes, Road Taxes. And they kept dreaming up new ones - Water Charges, Bin Taxes, blah blah blah.... Now I pay ZERO tax, and that's how I aim to keep it. Take heed Thai Guv.
• General cost of living. I'm based in Malaysia at the moment. Everday staples cost me a 3rd to a 1/4 of what they cost back home. Coupled with no tax, I can live like a king.
• The people - vast majority are friendly and polite. Great service culture. Everyone here speaks English! What a benefit that is!
• Safe. Never been hassled or threatened. Never been robbed. Never burgled.
• Great for kids. No drug culture. Respect for elders. No feral kids AT ALL. No stabbings every day. Good schools (if you can pay).
• Entertainment - no bar girls (well, actually there are, if you know where to look), but great pubs, restaurants, sports facilities etc.
• Food - did I not mention FOOD? Should be up top of the list. Malaysian, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Indonesian, Western. Everything you could want and cheap.

I could go on - cheap petrol (40 Euro Cents per Ltr!!), and low car running costs. Decent roads, great beaches and islands, cheap flights,  improving infrastructure (MRT).

I'd only move full time to Thailand if the tax situation required it and was beneficial. But I have the LTR Visa ready.

I also like Bali.

Bit too tax-y though.....

Mr. Anurak? Is that really his name?

21 hours ago, Terek said:

Exactly these obstacles, all system with it's rates are aimed for not prosperity but to keeping poor in these miserable profit amounts and kill any desire to earn more. All this system is rigged in favour or already rich people who pays mostly small capital gains tax. Rates should be fixed for everyone with some big zero tax allowance. But I  would go even further and dismantle all personal income tax altogether and focus on different taxes, because it's too much hassle for everyone, a lot of people are waisting their time on all it, including all the consulting  business, instead of doing some real productive job.

Have to say I agree with Terek. The amount of wasted time and energy spent shuffling bits of paper around by civil servants amounts to little more than jobs for the boys in many areas. I'm referring here to personal taxation on individuals, not corporate or wealth taxes. Think of the cost to the state of running this whole system. I've tried looking for figures, but with no success. If anyone can find some hard numbers I'd like to see them.

High personal income taxes are an obstacle to employment. Many people in western nations see no point in taking a job when - after tax deduction - it earns them only a few quid more than they'd make on the dole.

The personal tax system is convoluted and opaque, and as Terek rightly said, it helps create more jobs for 'tax advisors' and 'specialists'. Just read the comments in this thread and you'll see how well liked and trusted they are.

Have you guys ever heard of the 'Robin Hood Tax'? It was a UK campaign inspired by the scandals of the global banking crisis in 2010, where big banks were bailed out by taxpayers, and the bankers continued paying themselves million pound bonuses throughout.

The campaign proposed a small tax on all banking transactions that did not include members of the public (Bonds, Derivatives, Currency speculation etc). The tax amount proposed was a piffling .005% of the banks revenues on these transactions. The sum it would raise was reckoned to be in excess of 100 Billion GBP per annum. Almost half the total UK Income tax intake.

If you doubled it to .010% (and fired all the income tax collectors and paper pushers) it would  probably approach the total income tax take in the UK, meaning wages could be zero rated for tax.

Of course the proposal was met with derision and disgust from the bankers, and eventually ran out of support. Even the website the campaigners set up is dead. But there's still one great video left on Youtube, featuring Bill Nighy as a banker being grilled about the proposal. One of my all time faves.

Check it out here;

In a world where AI is predicted to replace all jobs in the not too distant future, and where Universal Basic Income (UBI) is again being proposed for that scenario - perhaps Income Tax is a dead duck anyway.

I'm not a full time Thai resident, but I've obtained my LTR Visa. I'm living in Malaysia, and while I'm happy here at present I like to have a bolt hole, in case plans change.

So for me, Thailand is just an alternative home in Asia.

How about you? Why did you choose to live in Thailand rather than any other country?

Party like a Russian!

Not....

14 hours ago, K2938 said:

Thank you very much for your highly useful insights on Malaysia. 

Could you kindly elaborate what is meant with "unless you remit it to Malaysia from a non DTA country", please?  Does this mean that

(1) the mere and sole fact that there exists some double taxation agreement between Malaysia and country X makes all funds remitted from country X tax free in Malaysia for a foreigner or

(2) it depends on what the DTA precisely says about these funds (which is how things normally work in the realm of DTAs) or

(3) this is unclear? 

Thank you.

Hi K2938; First off, you know what a DTA is? It's the acronym for 'Dual Tax Agreement'. These are agreements signed between countries to prevent people/companies being taxed in both countries on the same money. Normally there will be a statement in the agreement specifying in which country the taxable monies are to be taxed, and an equal exemption is given from taxation in the other contracting country. 

If your money originates from a country having a DTA with your new home (Thailand/Malaysia, wherever...) and you can show it has already been taxed in the origin country, then you should not be taxed again on it when you remit (send) it to your new home country.

Regarding your bulletin points;

1. Not ALL funds. Specifically those which have been taxed in the origin country (at a minimum of 15%). They may ask for proof (Certs).

2. I've worked in several Asian countries which have a DTA with my home country. I've read each of them. There's a standard 'format', almost a cut and paste document, except there are always minor differences from country to country. You need to read each one carefully, or get help with it.

3. No - but remember, I'm just a bloke on the interweb. I'm not a tax advisor. And rules constantly change. Better to do your own due diligence. I'm only relating my own experience so far.

2 hours ago, stat said:

https://www.ey.com/en_my/tax-alerts/tax-treatment-of-income-that-is-received-from-outside-malaysia#:~:text=With this development%2C a flat,in Malaysia by Malaysian residents.

 

If you have a source stating that no foreign income will be taxed in MY pls let us know, thanks! My understanding is that MY will or has started to tax foreign income, but I am happy to learn otherwise.

Ah, I see where the confusion is.

What I'm saying is that Malaysia does not tax foreign sourced income (inc pensions) UNLESS and UNTIL you remit such earnings. There's absolutely no question of Malaysia looking to levy tax on Malaysian tax residents foreign income while it's still overseas (like the US does).

Does Thailand tax your foreign income irrespective of remittance? I kinda got that idea from some of the comments here. Nasty....

When remitting money to Malaysia, yes, the new Remittance Tax applies (dated to 1st Jan 2022). But as I've said before, you can produce a 40 year old tax cert and they'll exempt the remittance for that amount. There's no requirement to prove the specific income remittance was taxed, only that you have PAID tax on an equivalent amount. Strange as it may seem - I see the logic. It would be a nightmare to scrutinise every single remittance declaration to confirm the particular monies are 'sterile' from co-mingling with untaxed money in the same remitting account.

I really do get the feeling Malaysia doesn't like this whole remittance tax idea, but they've been arm twisted into it by the bloody Yanks who want to control the whole world it seems.

By the way, I wrote an email to my local friendly tax person in LHDN today about the property I recently sold in europe. She confirmed that there will be NO TAX on the remittance of the proceeds, neither FSI tax nor CGT. Happy days.

14 hours ago, stat said:

To my understanding Malaysia will start to tax your pension as well... If possible just do not transfer your pension to Thailand and keep it offshore and transfer other monies.

Are you confusing Malaysia and Thailand in that post Stat?

Malaysia DOES NOT tax residents foreign income - unless you remit it to Malaysia from a non DTA country (and/or with no tax paid proof).

The 'tax paid proof' is extremely lenient, as I described above.

12 hours ago, K2938 said:

The rule is actually as follows:  "The individual is in Malaysia for a total of 90 days or more in the basis year and in any 3 out of 4 immediately preceding basis years, the individual was either resident or in Malaysia for at least 90 days."

There are at least FOUR different ways to become tax resident in Malaysia. Check them out on this page; https://taxresidents.com/malaysia-my-second-home/

The 180/90 day rule is the one I personally used. On first arrival in Malaysia I spent 6 months settling in. That also established tax residency.

After that I went off travelling, and doing contract jobs around Asia. But I made sure to return to Malaysia on at least 90 days in every subsequent year.

Got my residency certs every year on that basis.

1 hour ago, El Matador said:

I guess he's talking about Malaysian residency because of its territorial tax system which makes things much easier and optimized as you don't pay any tax on income not coming from Malaysian source. If you only need 90 days every year there and don't do more than 180 days in other countries, it gives some flexibility to move around without worrying too much about tax residency.

Correct!

2 hours ago, stat said:

According to several sources you would pay taxes on remittance in Malaysia then instead of Thailand. What is it you hope to gain? One tax year out of TH and then transfer 5 years worth of monies? I would rather spend 170 days in each country and the rest in a 3rd country. You do not need a tax certificate to circumvent TH taxes just staying below 180 is sufficient.

Stat, the crucial thing for me is to maintain Malaysian tax residency, which means the Irish taxman can't tax my Irish pension at source. The rest is just about arranging my location to reduce tax on remittances - or reduce the remittances to zero.

17 hours ago, Misty said:

 

Except that you can have more than one tax residency at the same time.  Unfortunately gaining Malaysian tax residency doesn't mean you automatically lose Thai tax residency.

Yes Misty, the way I'd do it is to spend 179 days in Thailand (if that's the preferred main base) then do 90 days (or as much extra as desired) in Malaysia, that gives you Malaysian Tax residencey.

Then you can use the other 90 (or less) days to travel the region, or visit home. Or just stay put in Malaysia the remainder of the tax year.

Rinse and repeat.

Maybe not everyones cup of tea, but if the tax savings are significant I'd be doing it.

It's good to have options.

By the way - these 'days in country' don't have to be consecutive, or in blocks. So you could just hop back and forth every couple of months if preferred. Just need to keep close tabs on the dates. You can then remit all you like to TH tax free. Bring up to 10K USD cash into Malaysia every trip, tax free.

13 hours ago, Puccini said:

 

It is in Thailand's Revenue Code, ie a law, ot just a regulation.

Just for info - in case anyone is considering a move to Malaysia in order to gain Tax Residency there to avoid tax residency in Thailand.

You only have to spend 180 days in Malaysia in your first year. After that you can maintain tax residency by only spending 90 days there in a year.

This might be of value to folks who want to lose their Thai tax residency, but need to have a 'Tax Residence' somewhere nearby, and don't really want to move full time to Malaysia.