TroubleandGrumpy

All good - we all sumtimes get it rong and missspel words and use bad grummer two.

Good to see - hopefully this means much of Hamas' leadership and infrastructre has been destroyed. Israel says it is swapping 150 Prisoners for 50 hostages - over 4 days - and then the war will resume. Extreme international pressure has been applied to Israel to make thius deal and to have a ceasfire. I wonder if both sides will keep their word - only time will tell I guess. One thing is sure, if Hamas reneges on the deal then Israel will intensify their actions and never cease fire again. What worries me about this agreement, is that Hamas is like most terrorist organisations in that it is not 'centralised' like the Israel army, and some random Hamas group may decide to take advantage of the cease fire and conduct an attack during the 4 day cease fire.

IMO this is the new rule for Revenue Officers at Thai RD that has been officially 'published' and which states that what was previously not assesable income is now assesable income after January 1 2024 for "Due to work dues or business conducted abroad or because of assets located abroad" What is needed is for the Thai RD to clarifiy what type of Expat's money remitted into Thailand is deemed as 'assesable income'. Until then we dont know what is going to be viewed as taxable income, and we are all stil 'watching this space'. I read yesterday on another Forum a lot of useful and useless information - no one knows what is going to happen. But there was one comment that rang true IMO. 'They completely screwed up the 'maryjane' issue and ended up with thousands of shops selling it for almost 2 years now - which was not what they planned - and which they cannot shut - and they are still trying to shut them down. If anyone thinks they cannot screw up this income tax rule change, and if they do they will quickly rectify things, then they are being either extremely delusional or extremely hopeful. Start planning people - if it does all work out well then good - but if it all goes to Hell in a handbasket, it would be good to have some idea what your individual options are.'

Mate - stay out of it please - you are embassing yourself. The SAPTO is a tax offset of up to $2,230 for singles. And go do your own research - type in Social Security Act. Actualloy that requires high level reading skills - try this mate - Using the Social Security Guide | Social Security Guide (dss.gov.au)

Spot On Mate . The only thing wrong in what you said, is that you did not mention so many others things that are effed in Australia now. Mutliculturalism and Diversity and Massive Uneeded Immigration sionce 1990s has fragmented and destroyed the Australian culture. I was 'debating' this subject (Australian Culture being destroyed) with a greenie lefty woke progressive years ago, who had 3 degrees (he worked for me). He reckoned Australia was a successful multicultural country. I stated that he was wrong because I had seen it. I pointed out that in this year I have been see Aust versus the Poms at cricket. And I have been to see Aust versus Kiwis at Rugby. And I went to the MCG and watched Collingwood play Carlton. And I went again to see Andre Agassi play in the Tennis (Aust Open). I stated that those events are a national tradition and a massive part of the Australian culture. And yet, at all those events I did not see certain types of people - none - they were not there - because they are not 'Australians' and they never will be - and they do not want to be - and I further stated that IMO they should never have been allowed to come to Australia. Needless to say we agreed to disagree - he was a massive 'academic' who did not think that any sport was valuable - and in his opinion all the Govt money spent on sports should be spent on 'the Arts'. Unfortunately those type of people have far too much say in what goes on in Australia - we have been pandering to the minorities for so long that they are dominating the majority.

Go South young man I have only been to USA once - but I does seem that the further south you go, the less woke progressive they are. Perhaps Texas or Florida ? Unfortunately as you would know, the extremely far-right anti-woke and anti-progressive are also in that direction (Alabama etc.). However - there is a lesson in that - in both of those facts - which most people fail to see/hear. Those who have been 'highly educated' but still hold strong views about 'freedoms' and 'rights' are not woke progressives (Texas etc.). Those who have not been 'over educated' are not woke progressives (Alabama etc.). Clearly the lesson is that over-educating people (especially idiots) makes them into woke progressives, because in Alabama etc. they dont over-educate their idiots.

Mate I stopped reading after a short while - you need to take a chill pill buddy - you have got it all wrong - 'arse about' as we say. You are massively over-reacting and taking massive offence on behalf of your wife - but there is no need. I refuse to answer all your tirade - just the first part - but I do accept that perhaps I did write that a bit poorly. However, if you re-read it again after reading my explanation below, you will understand that I diod not mean what you thought. You quoted this - 'that sort of bloke is what a bar girl is for' Please allow me to re-state the entire quote - '.....because a good Thai girl does not deserve to be 'caught' by such a slob - that sort of bloke is what a bar girl is for.' What I meant by that was that a naive inexperienced good Thai girl, would be massively taken advantage of, by the type of bloke I was describing - a slob yobbo ahole. He was who I was criticising - not the bargirl/s. Because only an 'experienced' Thai girl (especially a bar girl) would be able to deal with a bloke like that and not be severely upset - and take all his money if she wanted to. I then said - 'and if he changed and treated her right - AND she is a 'good one' - meaning that there are quite a few good ones that do not rip off their Expat. But lets get real - most Expats that do get ripped off by the girl - are ripped off by an 'experienced' Thai girl - and often that is by a bar-girl. You also pointed out how bad western women can be - I dont know how you thought I have any other view. That is exactly why I had a vasectomy and was not interested at all in getting re-married to a 'western' woman after being divorced (financially raped) for doing nothing wrong other than being 'boring and absent' (working 60+ hours a week making money). Lets not go back there - but I waited almost 10 years before finding a 'good girl' in Thailand, because it is far easier and 'safer' than trying to do so in Australia, or any 'western' country.

We have been to and lived in a lot of places here - the locals buy filtered water everywhere - in villages and in gated communities. The only exceptions are those that have the supplied water strongly filtered - like in a hotel - but even then only trust the 4/5 stars. That is why it is so cheap here - for 30 Baht you get a 20 litre bottle delivered - that is best for cooking etc. In the shops (not 7/11) you can buy 2 doxen 600ml bottles of filtered water for about 50 Baht ($2). In Australia that would cost $12 to $15 depending on the brand you buy - it is much more if you buy just 1 in a shop. I remember paying almost $5 for 1 bottle in a shop in Canberra and the Thai wife freaked out when she heard how much.

All good - those numbers are correct - there is no tax free threshold for non-resident tax payers in Australia. But you missed my point - I am obviously not explaining it well enough - trying again. The tax free threshold for a tax resident in Australia is $18,200. Single Pensioners in Australia get $28,514 which is $10,314 OVER the tax free threshold. But Pensioners in Australia do not pay any taxes on their Age Pensions - zero. Because the Age Pension is a tax free payment in Australia - that is in the Act. It does not matter if you are a tax resident or a tax non-resdient - it is a tax free payment. For an age pension recipient in Thailand to be taxed (resident or non-resident) they would have to change a lots of the Regulations and Rules. The Social Security Act would have to be amended - which requires approval through Parliament. They would be challenged in AAT and the Courts in Australia. And IMO they would be in breach of the UN International Convention.

Thanks mate. And it amazes me that so many Expats think they have 'rights' - but as you said - they have no more 'rights' than a 30 day Tourist - becaue legally that is exactly what they are in Thailand - they are legally an 'Alien' under all Thailand Laws and Statutes. And you are also right about Residency - I checked it out in detail, including with a lawyer who did lots of those applications every year. My chances of getting Residency, even after completing the enourmous amount of paperwork and paying a large amount of money, were none and buckleys - so we did not bother to proceed. Unless you worked for years and paid taxes and are married and have bought a property, it is extremely difficult - not impossible but extremely unlikely.

We are all someone's children - but not all of us are sociopaths - thank goodness.

Mate - you are defending your error by deflecting. Rather than be accomodating to you, I will now be 'direct'. The current Pension is $28,514 per year (single). The current tax free threshold is $18,200 for a tax resident/citizen. No Pensioner pays income tax on the amount of money they received over $18,200. Unless you can prove otherwise then you are wrong - please admit it and move on - we all make mistakes. Just the other day I thought I was wrong about something - but I was not - I made a mistake

You read and quote the first line and respond to that ?? Maybe read the entire post - and then respond. Here is the pertinent parts again for you: BUT the issue is that on certain occasions, especially during/after floods, things get in where they should not. The whole system is prone to 'leaks' - while the water leaving the provider might be OK, it is what that water travels through and what 'joins it' before it gets to your tap that is the problem

There is a cure. It is called 'growing up'. That being when they realise what all 20 year olds learned quickly/eventually 40-50 years ago - and which the current generations often do not learn - especially those with TDS and/or DTS or anything like that. It is not all about you and your feelings anymore Princess - we are not your Mummy and we dont give a f*** about you - now suck it up and get on with it and try to do something and maybe become someone. Nowadays they all think that they are 'someone' - Facebook Tik Tok Youtube etc. have a lot to answer for.

ROFLOL. Mate that is true but it is ridiculous - you obviously dont drive a lot on the open/country roads - I did. Nothing serious - but I kept being caught by those camera vans hidden behind trees (especially in VIC) - never more than 5k over - but quite a few times. I hear you and you are right - but you are not someone that actually thinks speed cameras save lives are you?

I have told a couple of very close friends what I did in detail, and they both did well enough - one is in Thailand and one now back in Australia - both are still going strong. The reason I will not say too much in public is the same reason why I did not tell this bloke in Aust some years ago. The wife and I were in the car park at a golf course - getting gear and ourselves ready to play. This bloke walks up and says "Hey Mate, where do you find a good one like her. I brought back 2 of them and they were no good". I turned and looked at this fat tatooed untidy slob and thought 'not in the bars where you look mate' but all I said was "Lucky I guess". The truth is that I do not want some slob like him to know where and how to look for a good Thai girl, because a good Thai girl does not deserve to be 'caught' by such a slob - that sort of bloke is what a bar girl is for. If he can change and treat her well, and she also behaves and is good to him, then that is great - and that does happen. All one can do is minimise the chances of her being a 'bad one' or turning into a bad one - but there are no guarantees. There is a website I saw many years ago in Thailand that was teaching Thai girls how to 'catch' an Expat - it was for the 'bad ones' and it was teaching them how to act and behave, to make it look like they are a 'good one' - so beware. Here is a few additional tips. They will all act and speak and behave good - dont believe anything any of them say. If you think that it is a matter of being lucky and because you are a good guy you will find 'the right one' - you are a fool and will soon get 'caught'. There are lots of good ones, and lots of bad ones - be selective - and judge them harshly. It is far far better to miss out on a good one, than to make a bad one happy -so do not be scared about dumping one that might be good. There is no one single way to do it - there are more 'donts' than 'dos'. Make a list of what you want and dont want. Number 1 for me was 'no kids'. That limits the choice - because there are many good Thai girls who got pregnant and were dumped, but they did not resort to being a bar girl. I decided that I did not want all the issues and costs of another man's child in my life. As a bloke said years ago - besides all the obvious problems of having a child, if/when you get divorced later, you lose both the mother and the child. I know a bloke that had that happen toi him after 10 years - he did not recover for many years. If you agree with that, then get a vasectomy and do it before you start.

People that dont care what others think about them, and share no empathy with others, are clinically diagnosed as sociopaths (or worse). Those that have not been diagnosed (yet) are called self-centred aholes. Not that I am saying you are one - I have no idea if you have been clinically diagnosed. Hows that for humour

About 100-110 most of the time. Cameras? No. In the 'wild west' up north the speed limit is as fast as you can go. I sped up to 120-130 thinking that might help - not long before a pickup went past doing at least 160. It seems that they see someone ahead, and then they speed up to over-take you. But the other serious danger is that the same 'types' coming the other way just flash their heaqdlights and come onto your side of the road to over-take !! Trucks too !!! It is ridiculous - I was close to turning back around, but I was already half way there anyway. That was in broad daylight - about 10-11am. Coming back we waited until luchtime - less traffic - still insane - but less of them.

Maybe part of the 'deal' with the Thai PM to 'encourage' more Chinese to visit Thailand? Why China’s police state has a precinct near you - POLITICO IMO it is probably a good move. The Chinese Police can help deal with all those Chinese criminals that keep getting into trouble and arrested in Thailand - much better than the Thai Police can. Thais have no recall, but I can remember over the last few years that a lot of Chinese have been caught breaking the law. Everything from gun fights with the Police, to call centre scams, and gambling operations. Now they can just hand them over to the Chinese Police and they will just 'take them away'. Plus many Chinese tourists will behave better if they know that the Chinese Police are 'watching'. Win/Win.

Tap water in Thailand some main cities (BKK, CM,etc.) is often good. BUT the issue is that on certain occasions, especially during/after floods, things get in where they should not. The whole system is prone to 'leaks' - while the water leaving the provider might be OK, it is what that water travels through and what 'joins it' before it gets to your tap that is the problem - sometimes. We always buy those large bottles for the basics (cooking, sinks, etc.) and we buy bottled water at Mekro for drinking/tea/coffee.

What you just did is exactly what George wants to stop mate. No need for that at all - just ignore or block him - posting that comment is just 'nasty'.

Well said mate - in the past that is what happpened to myself (several times). It is one thing to control the members, and sometimes that is needed, but someone needs to also be controlling the Mods. It appears the one Mod I had severe trouble has 'departed' - after my last banning by him/her/it I went to that 'other' forum - which as many have said became even worse.

Sad person you are mate. Dont bother responding I wont see it.

Yes indeed - and so much more has been going on and is continuing to go on - it will only get worse IMO. That is why I left and moved to Thailand. I just got so sick and tired of seeing what the woke PC progressive feminazis have done to Australia. I grew up in a country that treated everyone the same (they put sheeite on everyone), and gacve everyone a 'fair go' - it was a 'good blokes country'. It started going downhil in the 80s and it massively ramped up after 2000 - it is like living in a place that is the combination of California and Venezuala - the Govt is totally interfering in everything and yet distopian at the same time. I visited Canberra some years ago (had to go back) and there was 9 speed cameras betwen the aitrport and the city - when I asked my old mates about that they just ducked their heads and said 'yeh its fu*******, but what can you do'. In so many others ways as well the people of Australia have become 'oppressed' - they are more and more 'controlled'. Calling someone a female anatomy part is no worrry, but you go to jail if you racially slur someone. An abboriginal footy player deliberately provoked the opposition supporters and one of them said something back - he was charged, fined and banned from ever attending again. Sorry - going on a bit - I get so 'grumpy' about it all - gotta let it go I guess - more time here will help. I love how 'free' Thais are - about road rules and everythign else - it is great not to drive and be constantly worrying about going 5ks over a ridiculous speed limit and copping a $300+ fine - now I see a van on the side of the road and I dont worry it is a speed camera - that took a few months because it was ingrained back there.

I will Quote what I said - "Unless the Immigration decide to............." That means IF as in THE FUTURE - meaning NOT the current rules. Stop being cognitively obtuse and seeing things how you think they are meant, rather than how they are actually meant. We are all guilty of doing that - but on this occasion it is not myself - for a change. By the way, DTAs do not work how you think. It is not a matter of saying to yourself 'I have a DTA therefore I will not lodge a tax return'. Unless specific exemptions are allowed and announced, under the current proposed rule change, any tax resident of Thailand who remits into Thailand more than 160K in 2024, is 'technjcally required to lodge a tax return. Under any DTA in place, that person can claim a 'tax credit' for taxes already paid in their home country, and/or they can claim that the money involved is not subject to income tax in Thailand. But it is up to the Thai RD to decide that - not the taxpayer. Now I am not trying to be a 'drama queen' but all you have to do is check the internet websites of any tax accountant/lawyer in Thailand - they are all publishing details of what this change means. That is why so many Thais are complaining - this change has massive implcations across a wide range of people - not just Expats - parents getting sent money by their children working overseas just for a start - Thai businesses who have invested overseas and given only 3-4 months notice of a change - and so many others. By all means do not panic - but do not tell me this change means nothing - it is massive - just look on the web - there is more every day. That is why the Thai RD are scrambling to sort it all out and publish details of the exemptions and how the implementation will be managed and when it will take affect. Very likely they will defer implemntation - maybe 'grandfather' existing business investments - who knows. If you have lived here a while you will know that 'saving face' is everything - and right now the Thai RD mangement has egg and mud and more, all over themselves.