TroubleandGrumpy

LOL. Biden did not do that at all 🙂 All Biden's 'diversity' appointments were in no way partisan or political, and they were solely based on merit - just look at his Defence and Departmental Heads and Press Secretary. And it is not as if the Federal AG and Head of FBI appointed by Biden are both avid Trump haters. They were both heavily cricised in the Senate Judiciary Committee for their partisan avtivities against Trump, and they will probably both be impeached. But the biased lefty Politico ignores all that, and complains that Trump is going to do the same thing Biden has done. Hell Yes He Will. This time Trump will take down the Swamp - RINOs and all. They are all terrified, because the Obama lead idiots have given him 4 years to build his teams and set his strategies. They would have been better off leaving him in power to run out his term - now he knows exactly what to do, how to do it, and who to work with - but TDS makes people do crazy things. Trump is a political adversary that you give more rope and let him catch himself up in it. Trump was politically naive before, now he is going to be much better prepared and he will come down on them like the proverbial ton of bricks - they will not survive his second term and they know it. I am stocking up on the popcorn as I speak 😃

Definitely for Expats. But Thais need to ride bikes, but many do not wear any safety gear. By the sounds of this story, neither rider or passenger was wearing a helmet.

Not making any excuses, but a lot of the mentioned issues relate to either the location of the 'head' account, or to the IT people making changes. IT people in many organisations make changes and they sometimes screw it up (MSoft, Apple, Android, etc etc.) Each Wise 'office' is located within a country or region - it is not a global bank as such (none of them actually are). Local issues and local authorities 'assistance' can lead to problems that others with same company dont get. In Australia Wise has a (limited) banking licence and is a separate organisation - like a franchise - same for most globals.

Can anyone recall one of these 'hubs' that Thailand has claimed it was going to become, ever actually coming about???

While all these tourism related services remain under the control of the unaccountable local Authorities, nothing will change. The Thai Federal/National Government needs to subsume the overall authority of all industries and services (especially ttransport) that directly affects tourism. Not to run them - but to make the rules and direct the local authorities that they must adhere to their set guidlines of behaviours etc. or face dismissal. Recently there was a 'voluntary' meeting held of the boat operators in and around Phuket - the very fact that it was necessary and had not been done 'properly' by the local authorities already speaks volumes. When local authorities become liable for the behaviour of the toursim related industries in thgeir District/Province, then and only then will substantive change take place. But who an I kidding - that is logicval and makes sense - aint gonna float here in Thailand.

Omens are one thing - proper motorcycle gear and a good helmet will help more IMO.

I hope nothing happens in Thailand - it is a waste of time and money - and it will only increase costs. IMO all countries should adopt the 'Australia Colour TV model'. Wait and see what all the others do, and then choose the best solution to go forward with. Lets face it - China, India, USA and Russia account for the majority of the CO2 problem and even if every other country suddenly stopped, it would make SFA difference overall. Let the big boys spend all their time and money to find out what works best.

It was a great win but more importantly it was a 'solid' win. She screwed up the 15th and made a bogey, and was only 1 shot ahead with 3 hoes to go. At one time earlier in the day she was 5 shots ahead but she was not moving away - they were catching up with her bit by bit all day. It is tough to win front from in front - many times Pro golfers fall under that pressure on the last day (just ask Rory). But Patty bounced straight back and birdied the 16th (right in front of us - massive roar), and then she made a solid par on 17th and birded the 18th to win. Great win - very much deserved.

100%. It amazes me to see old expats riding their bikes in Thailand. It is stupid that they ride their bikes in the west - grow up you fools - but to do it in Thailand just beggars belief. As the wife says - 'up to him - his life'. If anyone dislikes my comments about their 'right to ride BS' then that is OK, but go stay in any western hospital for several weeks and you will see what happens when (not if) old men fall off (get knocked off) their bike - they dont bounce like when they were kids (fools and idiots born every minute). You only have to look at the youtube channels showing so many fat adult people doing stupid things that they did as kids - but it goes very wrong and is hilarious (or sad). The kids in Thailand do not ride bikes as much as in west - and the adults do not (besides lycra fools) - they know.

Mike - please stop proving links to websites that are behind a paywall.

Sold a lot of assets (planes and properties) and reduced expenses as per bankruptcy requirements - an expected result. Lets see how things go over the next 2-3 years. If they put their hands out for government money - liquidate and sell it all off to the highest bidder, and then bring in all new management and staff.

If anyone thinks they are going to implement the new tax system any better than they have 'upgraded' Swampy, you need to think again. Thailand is full of conflicting committees, vested interests, archiac social interaction, corruption and very powerful people who are all trying very hard to cowtow to and appease those above while getting whatever they can from those below - all while trying extremely hard not to cause conflict or embarassment. The camel might well be a horse designed by a committee in the West, but inThailand the committee designed an Ostrich - and they claimed they were an Ostrich design hub and handed out awards.

OK I will answer. All those people avoiding complicated khrapp please ignore. The tax free threshold is $18,200. Any income above that ammount is taxable - offsets etc are irrelevent as to whether it is taxable income. Most Govt welfare payments are not taxed - the tax is either 'not applied' even if over threshold (Aged Pension) or the welfare income is declared non-taxable income (Jobseeker). As above - it is 'taxed' - but the tax is not applied. What happens (the reason it is done this way), is so that if you are on the pension and you earn some other income that is also taxable (eg. get a job), you are already over the tax free threshold and you immediately have taxes payable on that amount (offsets and allowances again exist but again are irrelevent). If you are on Jabseeker you can earn an income and pay no taxes right up to the threshold, but of course the Jobseeker payment would stop once you earned over the allowable amount. That way you dont get hit with an extra tax bill at the year's end when you do find a job after receiving jobseeker payments. You are 'reading' that Clause in isolation and the same way some 'armchair and community experts' have stated - real experts say they dont know - never been tested - wait and see. Firstly, realise that all DTAs have been created using the same template - some are changed a lot from the template (USA) and some not much. There are more than 1 or 2 issues related to Pensions under a DTA - this one is just one. Try reading it again a few times slowly - this time think of the (translated) words as meaning we (country A) will not allow you (country B) to take a chunk of our taxpayer funded pension payments to our residents. Think of it that way and then you will see that it applies to a 'resident' and the first issue is what is the definition of a 'resident'. In Cyprus you used to be a 'tax resident' after 2 months and there are many countries much less than 180 days - but the issue is being a 'resident' and therefore eligible for a pension - only citizens and residents in Aust are eligible for pensions - I am still a resident of Australia for tax purposes. As per another part of the DTA a person with 2 of more 'tax residencies' can choose whatever tax rates they prefer - it is not Thailand decides or Aust decides - you choose. Another clause covers 'domicle residence' - which covers which state you are more 'technically close with' - in short, my read of that means as I get age pension, have savings and super, bank accounts, licences, passpoert, family, friends etc etc etc then I am more close to Australia than Thailand where I have a long-term tourist Visa with 3 monthly reporting and annual renewals and the same legal rights as a tourist. Plus thgere are a few other 'out clauses' in the DTA. Mate - nothing is certain - but I am extremely confident about points 1 and 2 - and I am confident that my 3rd point has a 'way out' but it all has yet to be tested. We should just wait and see what the details and clarifications the TRD provide. However, the longer that takes, the more I think they cannot get all the worms back in the can and it will all be too hard - then they will probably just give up, and let them sort themselves out. This could be one of the biggest ever Thaland clusterf........

I am staying out of this as I said - but as an Aussie i must jump in here. IMO the Aust/Thai DTA states that only the state paying the pension etc. to the person can tax that pension. States do not want to pay their money straight to another Government. Pensions in Aust are taxable income - Pensions are already taxed - But the tax is not applied There is a clause that states a person with two tax states can choose whatever state tax rates they want to be applied - meaning the tax rate that is least for them.

I am assuming that you are posting this as a contributor, and my response is to that - not to any moderation activity. There are many things that confuse people in this thread, and it includes what you and I are posting. Going forward though I will no longer be confusing anyone. Good luck.

They all have - everywhere. Their 'social development' has been damaged by their use of social media since very young. One day an academic genius (educated idiot) will publish a study which conclusively proves what we all know - kids need to play with kids. When you add social media to Covid lockdowns, you will have seriously 'damaged' young adults with very under-developed social skills.

Yes it is and I had the same reaction - especially with people on bikes flying along on the 'wrong side'. The reason is also very common - police do not patrol the roads and pull over those who break the laws.

** Personalisation removed, comment on the post, not the poster, please. That 'small change' was the mechanism that meant Thai RD did not have to pursue overseas income - soemthing both they and the wealthy using that system were more than happy to allow to continue for over 30 years. That 'small change' was the reason why the Thai RD ignored the fact that Expats were bringing money into the country that 'might' be income, as they would of course do what the wealthy Thais did - keep it for 12 months and then remit it. And how would they prove otherwise. That 'small change' now means the Thai RD has to put in place new systems and processes to identify what money is 'foreign income' and against which they have to impose income taxes. And they are under pressure by the PM to bring in more money - the economy is broke. That 'small change' has caused more concerns amongst Expats that anything I have seen before. NMot because of its intentions, but because of how it might be implemented and how it will (or not) directly effect Expats.

Very true mate - they have a history of both shooting from the hip and hitting their own feet 🙂 Sometimes, though, they eventually get it right - until then I am going to use every angle and excuse to stay out of their sights.

IMO the Thai Govt will do something similar to what the Malaysian Govt did when they introduced this can or worms called taxing Foreign Sourced Income (FSI) - and I hope they follow their lead about implementation for private persons. 1. Malaysia implemented basically the same system in 2021, but delayed the start for personal taxpayers until 2025. 2. Malaysia decided that it was 'wrong' to tax retired/married Expats living in Malaysia who are not working and bringing money into Malaysia from overseas: Are there any conditions for resident individuals to qualify for the FSI exemption? Qualifying FSI is exempt from tax provided the income has been subjected to tax in the country of origin. FSI received from individuals is regarded as having been subject to tax in the country of origin if: a) Income tax or withholding tax on the FSI has been paid or is payable; or b) Tax is not imposed in the country of origin because of: i) The taxation system of the origin country ii) The FSI of the individual falling below the taxable threshold in the country of origin iii) Income that is given an exemption through a tax incentive iv) In the case of foreign dividend income, it has been subject to underlying tax v) Foreign dividend income that is paid from underlying profits arising from operating profits It is my understanding that the application of income taxes under this new 'world income system' is not about taxing individual retired Expats living in any country who are bringing into that country their Pensions or Savings. It is about stopping companies and wealthy individuals who organise for their incomes to be received in another country/ies and thereby avoid paying income taxes - and others that use that system to basically money launder. On top of that new arrangement, in Thailand they had a system that allowed income to be 'salted' for 12+ months in another country, and when then remitted back into Thailand was not subjected to income taxes. Complicated, but I am confident that they will get this all sorted - eventually. IMO, until they get this sorted, it is best to not get involved with the Thai RD at all.

No - not at all IMO - you dont have to file a tax return unless you have to pay income tax. But if you feel the need to do so, and are happy to let Thai RD decide what you have to pay, then go right ahead. Just remember, they will then want a tax return done every year going forward. If you think you should file, then I suggest you speak to a Thai tax expert/consultant/accountant to make sure, and not take as given what anyone states here on AN who is not a Thailand tax expert/consultant/accountant - including myself.

Mike - you are just being argumentative and obtuse. Just for starters I know a lot more about those organisations and what they do - they dont give out banking transactions easily to any overseas tax departments. And I wont waste any more time, other than to copy the exact words used in that left-wing rag about Snowden's illegal release of information:- This article is more than 10 years old Australia's surveillance agency offered to share information collected about ordinary Australian citizens with its major intelligence partners, according to a secret 2008 document leaked by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden. The document shows the partners discussing whether or not to share "medical, legal or religious information", and increases concern that the agency could be operating outside its legal mandate, according to the human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC. The Australian intelligence agency, then known as the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD), indicated it could share bulk material without some of the privacy restraints imposed by other countries, such as Canada. "DSD can share bulk, unselected, unminimised metadata as long as there is no intent to target an Australian national," notes from an intelligence conference say. "Unintentional collection is not viewed as a significant issue." The agency acknowledged that more substantial interrogation of the material would, however, require a warrant.

Yes and No. It is not at all 'rampant and easy' as some people are suggesting. I can only speak on this to Australia - but there it is strictly controlled and monitored, especially to a another country. Privacy Policy - Australian Banking Association (ausbanking.org.au) OAIC Privacy Policy | RBA

They cannot exchange information as easily as you imply - laws relating to privacy may not be 'strong' here in Thailand, but they are very much both strong and enforced in countries like Australia. What you say applies in Thailand, but not so much in other countries - they cannot and will not easily give personal information out to another country.

Within that same document is a Caluse which clearly states all foreigners leaving Thailand must have a tax clearance. And there are many other things that are either not applied, are 'over-ruled' by another section, or are just ignored by Thai RD. There is a big difference between the Revenue Code and reality - same for all Government rules and regs.