TroubleandGrumpy

As usual, they get together at some swanky resort and spend 2-3 days 'discussing' things and they have a great time at taxpayer's expense. Then when it is over they release some PR BS that details all the brilliant ideas that they came up with to improve things for Thailand. This is one of those BS things that comes out after one of those junkets.

For those who seem unaware, the THB has been 'strong' for a long time - this is the GBP to THB for 25 years. For much of that time the GBP was higher than it has been since the Junta took over. For those also unaware, the world's monetary 'police' are only making sure countries do not Undervalue their currency (like China) so their Exports grow. There is SFA policing of those countries that Overvalue their currency so their Imports cost less.

This is what Thais see so often and and expect from 'dirty falangs'. Unfortunately, there are many Thais that do not understand that there are sexpat pieshead Tourists like these blokes, and then there normal retired/married Expats of which the vast majority are good. It is only once the Thais get to know an Expat that they understand that there is a big difference. I can see Thailand one day getting to the point where they will like many other countries (Japan, Spain, Bali, etc etc) where they decide that enough is enough. While the travel industries and associations all push for more and more tourists due to self-interest, with ever increasing BS about their 'value' to the economy, the ordinary people in many countries are starting to protest and demand less tourists. Post Covid saw a surge in badly behaved cheap charlie tourists who are trying to 'party' after years of suppression - they have become too many and too much - and many countries have had enough. I think Thailand might start heading that way soon if TAT and all the others keep promising an economic saviour from millions of more tourists like these Aussie blokes that never eventuates - but all the social problems continue to grow.

Love the guy. A flawed human being of that there is no doubt, but exactly what does/did he do to endear so much hatred. Nothing - no more than anyone else in politics - especially the Bidens. But when you have millions of delusional people and you throw attack after attack after attack, and then add the media lies and distortions, and the result is millions who hate the guy. Some even enough to want to shoot him and others enough that they wanted him dead. Truly we are in a woke liberal world where being an awful human being that would want a politician dead is somehow OK. But if men with beards can call themselves women and beat them up at sports and use their toilets - then it fits - truly delusional.

Believe it or not the first 'terrorists' to attack the Senate Building were two Democrats. They set off some bombs or something. Clinton pardoned them. I reckon that if Trump wins all the 'political prisoners' of Jan6 will be pardoned day 1 - followed by quite a few others.

Cant disagree with that.

It is an interesting question - but IMO maybe an even more interesting question is :- Should Joe Biden pardon Hunter Biden when he leaves Office? Is that why Hunter pleaded guilty? Did Joe say - 'Dont worry Son - plead guilty and get this trial over with - and I will pardon you soon'.

Yes indeed - I wonder what they did - maybe they bought up a load to push the price up - plus change in Govt? All the main currencies have dropped significantly and quickly against the Baht - it is not just the USD as some are saying.

Same reason there are more Generals in the Thai military (1700) than in the USA military (620).

Good point - the Uber wealthy can indeed just ignore any issues. The 'ordinary' wealthy buy a villa somewhere and stay out of sight most of the time.

Having a Pit Bull is like leaving a loaded hand gun lying around, Sure, 99% of the time nothing will go wrong. But with both a gun and a Pit Bull, if anything does go wrong they are both deadly. Pit Bulls are killers - born and bred to attack Bears and Bulls, and then they moved into dog fighting in dog fighting pits. They are a very dangerous animal and should be destroyed (humanely) all of them without exception. Only if/when one of these rabid out of control dogs in Thailand kills a family member of you know who, then and only then will drastic and appropriate action take place. It is time Thailand joined the 21st Century world regarding the control of dogs - and not stay in the 14th to 19th centuries. They dont eat dogs here anymore like in some other SEAsian countries and that was a good change - but given that they dont do that anymore, they cannot just let them roam - they are all a dangerous animal to a small child, I recall the pit bull story some time ag about a bloke that had raised and slept with his pit bull since it was a small puppy. One night something went wrong and the pit bull killed him - it nearly tore his head off - the son was bitten trying to stop the dog but eventually got him off the body. Not much sympathy from me as it was a very stupid thing to do to sleep with any dog - but what made me angry is that the family did not want the dog destroyed - they tried to stop the police taking it away and shooting it (which they did eventually). Unbelievable.

IMO Marriage Visa offers a married person more advantages than a Retirement Visa. Being married to a Thai means something more to Thais, than being retired (and implied a single). If you are living where there are lots of others the same (Pattaya, Patong, Phuket, etc) then no problems. It is a little more complex for the annual extensions, but it is not too hard at all - never had a problem. I have had both the Retired and Marriage Visa - is not that much more complicated to complete documents etc. The main differences having the Marriage Visa I have found, is the following:- Negatives - Need for another Thai to confirm you are married (1st time), and a visit to the house/home (sometimes), and the waiting period after Extension Application. Positives - 400K only and which you can spend after 2-3 months, and arrive at Swampy in the Thai queue (with Wife). I have found that they seem to treat those with a Marriage Visa more 'positively' than those with a Retirement Visa. But I have never extended/applied in the 'Tourist Provinces' so it is probably easier there where the majority are Retired. They have been saying for a while that they are looking at making health insurance compulsory for O Retirement Visas. It is already compulsory for O-A Retirement Visas, and I think it will one day be the same for O Retirement Visas/Extensions.

More liberal lies and distortions - Trump has demanded that any extra debate be fair and unbiased. Trump has had 2 debates moderated by liberal lefty media shrills - it is time for a right wing moderated debate. At least then we will know that Harris will not get the questions in advance. Fox News has proposed 3 dates in October - Harris has not accepted. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), co-chair of Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign, urged the Democratic nominee to accept Fox News’s invitation for a second debate against former President Trump.

Well - so far they have certainly failed. Thailand has a reputation for Prostitutes and for Hiding. Living in a tin shack on the beach - I mean who would notice you being there. Clearly this bloke did not have enough money to hide away enough - unlike some people in Thailand.

Savings and such forms of money are not income as defined in the TRD Revenue Code. Advisory Notice | The Revenue Department (English Site) (rd.go.th)

Pick one and go with it mate.

Hopefully this will go ahead with minimum corruption and maximum efficiency and quality construction. Seriously though, a better rail system would be good for business and also during times like New Year and Songkran when the roads are extremely dangerous due to the large numbers of Somchais in pickups trying to force their way though, and bus drivers who seem to regularly fall asleep (or have brake failure).

Yes - they get details given to them by the ATO who measures and monitors all Super Funds for income tax purposes. Plus they can request the Super Fund provide them full details if they are checking on someone.

Unfortunately you are 100% correct. Thailand has very oppressive taxation rules when it is compared to the rules and regulations of the tax authorities in the first world countries. Perhaps they are actively working behind the scenes to modernise and rationalise their tax rules under this new taxation regime, and it will all be ready for announcement in November/December. But IMO that is as likely as the following image. What will happen IMO is that a vast majority of foreign workers will not be interested in working in Thailand, if/when they implement a worldwide taxation system under TRD's current rules. Why would anyone want to take a job in Thailand for a few years and risk being taxed heavily and clumsily on all their money and investments back in their home country? Likewise, why would anyone with investments back in their home country even consider retiring to Thailand? They are doing exactly the opposite to what they have said they want to do - attract well off 'desirable' retired Expats.

I think you are right. But you are referring to the wealthy and middle class Thais - IMO the majority of Thais (such as those whose votes dont count) want Expats to stay and more to come. But not only does their votes not count, their opinions and wants dont count either. If you recall, in September 2023 there was an article in the BP that was from TAT, and it spoke of the decline in Expats working and living in Thailand (especially the Japanese and Koreans), and it stated that "The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is dedicating 2024 to expats by offering benefits to this segment. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, the TAT governor, said the agency is preparing privileges for expats including perks they have requested for many years, such as lowering entrance fees to national parks and other attractions to the same rate as Thais." And then not long after TRD announced they are going to include Expats in the 'new taxation regime' and the TAT Expat Program disappeared into the great black hole that is full of previous Thai Govt statements, promises and proposals.

Sad to say - but it is true what you said. There are many thousands of Thai families who will suffer if their Expat provider leaves the country. If I was not married to a Thai and living in a house we/she bought, I would have already decided where I will be moving to - I would not stay in Thailand. It would be somewhere nearby - Philippines, Malaysia or Indonesia - and I would probably visit Thailand once or twice a year. As it stands now, I am putting together all the documents and reasons why my self-assessment will result in myself not needing to lodge a tax return, because I will have no income taxes to pay (using a joint tax lodgement with wife). However, if the proverbial hits the fan and myself and/or other Expats are 'nailed to the cross' by TRD, then the wife and I will be moving out. Probably to a country nearby for a few years so visits are easy - but eventually back to Aust (wife is a citizen). Both myself and the Wife are adamant that Thailand can go fornicate itself if it thinks they can hit me with income taxes, while being constantly living under an uncertain temporary non-immigrant Visa that requires reporting to Police every 3 months like a parolee, and an annual payment/application to stay and spend more in the country, plus all the other khrapp when moving or travelling inter-Province or going overseas. It is extremely annoying that despite me spending over a million baht to the Thai economy every year (which at 7% VAT is about 50-70K in taxes), that they want to squeeze more money out of me and force me to pay income taxes in return for nothing. If the local Provincial Somchais in the TRD Offices start to demand 'you Expat you pay 200K tax' (very possible) then we are out of here.

I agree that it would be very difficult and far too much work. But - it can be done if they really want to do it - I think it would go something like this. All remittances into Thai Banks will be reported to TRD - probably by BOT - maybe by each bank too. That information can be sorted based on Passport/ID number. That information can then be collated and checked to give total amounts remitted for each person. That information can then be checked against tax returns - Yes or No. They can then get the information about each person with a 'No' who totalled over X Baht per year in remittances. For Thais they check with (Dept?) against the ID number for details. For Expats they check with Immigration against the Passport numbers. Then they could send letter asking 'why no tax return'. But will they go through all that work? Do they have the resources and expertise? Who knows.

When I was first researching where to retire overseas in 2010, Thailand was in the top few places in every list. That is not the case anymore - and that 'decline' started after 2014 when the Junta took over. This new 'tax regime' being implemented in the usual incompetent manner by Thailand has made things worse. Best Places to Retire in 2024: The Annual Global Retirement Index (internationalliving.com) https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/best-countries-to-retire-2024-costa-rica Best Places to Retire Overseas in 2024 | Retirement | U.S. News (usnews.com) Yes I think a lot of Expats are either leaving, planning to leave (just in case), or have already left. But with regards to new retired Expats - Thailand has dropped the ball, or shot itself in the foot, or does not want them.

IMO you are wrong - you party pooper. Read my posts. Up to you.

Quote "Income derived from employment ..........". That is only applicable to salary received as a pension for work performed AFTER 1 Jan 2024. In other words, you are not taxed on salary earned before 1 Jan 2024. Or are you saying we have to pay taxes in Thailand on money we earned in 2000 that was put into a Super Fund? No mate - money earned before 1 Jan 2024 is exempt from the new rule. Section 41 A taxpayer who in the previous tax year derived assessable income under Section 40 from an employment, or from business carried on in Thailand, or from business of an employer residing in Thailand, or from a property situated in Thailand shall pay tax in accordance with the provisions of this Part, whether such income is paid within or outside Thailand. Section 38_64 | The Revenue Department (English Site) (rd.go.th) Likewise, under the CRS rules as per Thailand's participation, Super Funds are excluded from the reporting requirement. Appendix A: Definition of Excluded Account The term Excluded Account means any of the following accounts: a. retirement or pension account that satisfies the following requirements: i. the account is subject to regulation as a personal retirement account or is part of a registered or regulated retirement or pension plan for the provision of retirement or pension benefits (including disability or death benefits); ii. the account is tax-favoured (i.e., contributions to the account that would otherwise be subject to tax are deductible or excluded from the gross income of the account holder or taxed at a reduced rate, or taxation of investment income from the account is deferred or taxed at a reduced rate); iii. information reporting is required to the tax authorities with respect to the account; iv. withdrawals are conditioned on reaching a specified retirement age, disability, or death, or penalties apply to withdrawals made before such specified events; and v. either (I) annual contributions are limited to THB 1,500,000 or less, or (ii) there is a maximum lifetime contribution limit to the account of THB 30,000,000 or less, in each case applying the rules set forth in Section 5.2.7 Account Aggregation and 5.2.8 Currency Translation Rule Thailand_CRS_Guidance_280823.pdf (rd.go.th) Appendix A on Page 65 I have a done a LOT more research - I could give a lot more info to back up my opinions, but the wife and lunch beckons. I certainly am not saying I am 100% correct - but the level of errors, omissions and ambiguity in the TRD documents, is the worst/most ever in my experience - and I have studied/read a lot of complicated Govt and Legal documents. This is going to be a clusterpharrk of extreme proportions IMO unless TRD and/or Thai Govt make some rational decisions and publicly state them. Avoiding TRD for a few years is definitely my strategy - as long as reasonable self assessments have been done - and all records kept, just in case TRD asks for an explanation.