TroubleandGrumpy

The application or not of a DTA is not the decision of a taxpayer - it is the decision of the Thai RD - and to get that decision you have to lodge a tax return - unless the type and source of your money has already been declared as non taxable. We are all waiting for those clarifications and declarations - but if they dont arrive before end 2024 - then lodging a tax return will be required to find out yes or no.

We are in 'violent agreement' - all those things you have to be able to 'prove' not taxable in Thailand, require you to lodge a tax return for the Thai RD to assess that claim. May I suggest, as thiungs remain as they are now, that you lodge a tax return in 2025 stating all that and see how the Thai RD goes with it. If they agree then it is clear you need not lodge a tax return again - unless the type and source of your money remains. But if you decide not to lodge a tax return, then in a few years you may find yourself in deep poo for not having lodged a return. Because as it stands now, any money you remit into Thailand is potentially taxable income, unless and until you can prove it is not. That is my biggest problem with all this - having to lodge a tax return and 'proving' the money I remitted into Thailand last year is not taxable. Who is ever going to remit say 5 million baht into Thailand (car and property) this year, when they have no idea if they will have to pay 1 million baht income taxes next year. Until the Thai RD states clearly what is taxable income as far as they are concerned, then we are all in the dark. IMO to close the existing loophole, all they needed to do was to close the loophole for investment profits made from money taken from Thailand and invested overseas. This would exclude all investments earned overseas made with money earned overseas. Now they are going to have to detail all the exemptions and allowances and 'specials' - that is why they are going to take a while. Malaysia did the same thing a few years ago, and when they realised the can of worms they had opened, they immediately delayed the implementation of the new rule until 2026 for personal tax resdients. They then spent a few years clarifying what is and is not taxable income - inclluding stating that Expat Retiree's money that they have earned and banked overseas, was not taxable when brought into Malaysia.

Yeh - I hear you. After all teenage girls never listen - and they are target consumers.

Lets hope so

There is a severe downside to that strategy - unless the Thai RD declares that the type of money you are remitting into Thailand is not taxable income. The downside is that if you are wrong (according to Thai RD), and the Thai RD 'catches' you, there are severe penalties for not lodging a tax return, and for not paying income taxes (including 1.5% per month interest on any income tax they calculate you should have paid). Unless the Thai RD declares that the type of money you are remitting into Thailand is not taxable income, then it would be wise to lodge a tax return and state that you owe zero income taxes and why. That way if they say nothing, you are OK, and if they disagree you know where you stand. But as you said - stay tuned. Things will develop and change - hopefully soon.

Agree - and that all make sense. But politics and common sense rarely cohabitate in the same space and time.

Yes and No. It takes 10-40 years to decommission and restore fully - then the land can be used for anything. You are referring to Chernobyl which will be entombed for a long long time because of the human error caused catastrophe. Another point - nuclear power plants take 1/400th of the land that an equivalent sized solar farm takes up.

I always found that Thais liked it when I talk a little Thai - especially the numbers when buying something. Yes they often politely giggle, but they respond positively to my attempts. You are right about the variations of dialect that they all use - and also their propensity to shorten words - both English and Thai. When we were in Chiang Mai my Thai wife did not understand what a local Thai was saying. When I asked her why not, she said that his Thai was 'northern' and she did not understand some of the words. Yet when we went to Laos she understood the locals - I learned it was because they spoke a lot like her Nth East Isaan dialect. While we in the west often have different accents using the same language - Thais have completely different dialects depending on where they are in the country. That makes it all very difficult for an Expat to learn to use the language - when the language being taught in schools is the 'Central Thai' version and there are so many completely different ways to say things across Thailand. In China there is an official language (Mandarin) but there is also many official versions - Mandarin, Wu, Min, Xiang, Gan, Hakka, Yue and many others. Thailand is like that IMO - learning Thai here is like learning a little Mandarin which is useless when in a place that speaks Wu or Xiang - and in facvt they might not like you speaking Mandarin to them. In Thailand those varitions of dialect have not been studied or documented like in China, but they very much are real.

Nothing ever does happen when they get it totally wrong - which they do all the time. How many hubs has Thailand claimed it will be over the years. How many distortions and lies has TAT given. And on and on it goes. It is just amazing.

I have been saying that for decades - and they continue to get worse and worse.

Well that stuffs my idea Sheryl Not worth it - 7 days in IDC is not a good thing.

That is the current issue right there and it might be what stops EVs dead in their tracks. When a LPG or Petrol car catches fire, the fire can be extinguished and it very 'containable'. When an EV combusts (thermal overload) it cannot be put out and it is not containable. If there is a massive fire caused by an EV that kills many people (ship at sea, carpark in basement of tall building or a large mall, etc.) they will be sued out of existence. EVs have already destroyed a ship and a carpark and mutliple other cars and buildings. Right now they are 'problemmatic' but if/when a tragedy occurs, they will be 'dodo bird'. Nuclear is IMO the answer to power genration that will reduce CO2 etc. but because of a couple of tragedies and their danger, they are not accepted by many people as the right solution. EVs are inherently more dangerous than any other form of vehicle - because of the damage they can and will do if they combust due to a thermal overload.

True about spent rods/waste - but they have figured out how to safely store them. Nuclear is far better than fossil - clean, safe and abundant - they are costly, but if it is that important then just do it. They could replace all existing coal/gas/fossil powered power plants within 15-20 years - net result is zero CO2 NO2 and other emmissions. After 40-50 years they will replace all the nuclear plants with whatever technology is developed that can guarantee 100% power output to the main grid and can cope with peak power demands 24x7x365 (no renewable is there yet). If nothing is able to step up to that mark, then nuclear stays until they do. And of course there is nuclear fusion - the holy grail of power generation.

Yes that is what the change in the rules was all about - not scrapping the TM28 - scrapping the +24 hour requirement to report. Yes the TM30 can be used to change your address - it is up to you which one to use - if they accept either one, then all is OK. Good point - one should never underestimate the laziness of Thai bureaucrats.

Yes the IDC stay is something to take into account - I assumed I would have enough money to immediately buy a ticket out - so therefore a day or two stay only. Definitely not something that an old bloke/lady would ever want to go through - but OK for a young fit male. I did not know it was only to your home country. That definitely makes my 'idea' less attractive for those of us from USA, Aust and Europe. But if you are from India, China etc then it is still an OK strategy.

That is true Jack - but. Read the TM28 and then read the TM30 - the TM28 is far easier to complete and it clearly made for the Alien. However, if people want to use the TM30 and their local IO accepts it, then that is fine. My 'argument' with the other member is that the TM28 has not been scrapped - only the mandate to use it to report 24+ hours away has been scrapped - and the TM28 is listed on the official Thai Immigration website - and that the TM27 is not anymore.

That Toyota has just developed a Hydrogen powered car, and other manufacturers are doing the same, means to me that it has been 'resurrected' as such - I certainly hope so anyway. 'Renewable Energy' - that is a can of worms and a political minefield of vested interests. The solution IMO is obvious - build nuclear power stations and where possible hydro power stations for the main grid, and use solar farms/panels for the Regions and Locals backed up by the main grid when needed. I recently saw that the 'environmentalists' were taking the 'greenpeacers' to Court in Europe because the environmentalists think nuclear is the best immediate solution, and the greenpeacers hate nuclear and want them all shut down.

Jack - I will again refer you to what they said - and to the Thai Immigration official website: Download Form – สำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมือง – Immigration Bureau Please read the announcement again - slowly. TM28: Thai immigration scraps requirement for foreigners to report when they stay away from home for 24 hours What was scrapped is the requiremnent to report when they stay away from home for 24 hours The rest is what the reporter believed the change to mean. The TM28 was not scrapped.

I gotta agree. Years of 90 day reporting, annual extensions, home visits, and all the costs - VERSUS - staying as long as you like (until caught) and then pay 20K and get deported (buy a ticket to Cambodia and review where to go next). If I was much younger, and not married, and I had the means/reasons to stay for 5-10 years, then I reckon overstay is the way to go. When are they going to realise that imposing all this khrapp (and soon maybe income taxes) on the 'good guys' is just causing less and less of us to come and live in Thailand, and that they are giving incentives to the 'bad guys' to overstay and enjoy life without the fear we have of being deported (they just accept it as 'times up'), and they are offering criminals the option to buy a Visa so they can avoid it all and do what they do. Ignorant and Stupid - that is what that is.

ROFLOL You sound like either a Millenial or a GenZ - either way I will refer to my original comment = PATHETIC (and get a life and stay away from social media all day ever day).

I will again refer you to the official Thai Immigration website where all the official current documents are available for download - the rest is up to you. If you do go there (I assume you did not) you will see that the TM27 is no longer available for download. But the TM28 is available and as it clearly states on the Thai Immigration website, the TM28 is as follows: APPLICATION FOR ALIENS TO NOTIFY THEIR CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR THEIR STAY IN THE PROVINCE FOR OVER 24 HOURS (TM.28). I do recall when they 'dropped' the enforcement of notifications if in another Province for 24+ hours - we lived here then. And we 'solved' that problem by always making bookings at hotels etc in my wife's name - and not one hotel/resort has ever demanded to see my documentation - because they dont want all the paperwork etc. I do believe that they advised a long time ago that notifying stay for more than 24 hours was dropped in TM28, but it is still the document for an Alien to notify of an address change. There is no TM27 document on the Thai Immigration website, and my local Office accepted my TM28, and this was recorded in my Passport, and in Thailand whatever works, works. If they take the TM28, then what the f*** is the problem - and with you. If you want to use the TM27 and demand they accept it, then good luck to you mate. I will continue to use whatever they will accept.

True - but HFCVs are in their very early days - like LNG was 30 years ago. More and more manufacturers are developing HFCVs and as that develops they will become better and more reliable. Hopefully over time they will overtake EVs as the best alternative to Petrol cars and Diesel trucks.

Got a mate back in Aust who owns a Tesla and he loves it - and it is awesome to drive. But - he also owns a petrol car - and he and the wife use that when they go on a holiday. The reason is simple - charging the Tesla is very 'problematic' once you get outside the cities. Likewise, he once had a fault with the Tesla and it required 'specialist' technician to come and fix it (replace a part and reprogram the car). He is, like myself, an old school guy who grew up fixing/building cars - but there aint anything he can do to the Tesla (can change tyre). IMO right now EVs are only 'right' in the larger places where the infrastructure and technicians are provided. Maybe in another 10 years - maybe. But in Thailand? No way - if something happens while in Isaan you are f*****. I will not even touch upon the EV batteries burning themselves and burning down carparks etc etc etc. I am hoping Hydrogen fuel will become the norm - that seems to be far more practical and a way better for the environment. 8 Vehicle Manufacturers Working on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars | FASTECH (fastechus.com)

Many years ago I was attending a motorbike training/ride day at a racetrack. The older guy (ex police motorbiker) was talking about the 'right' way to ride a bike on the streets, as compared to the track. In particular, hemade a point of saying that when you are at the front, always look right before moving ahead at a set of lights. That is where they come from - the ones that kill bikers. The ones on the left you will usually see because they are further away and you can stop. There was a young bloke in the group who was always going on and on about how car drivers should do this and that. The old guy had finally had enough and walked over to him and stood right in his face (he was a big guy). He yelled at the young bloke and told him that if he wants to ride like an idiot and gets killed - he will personally write on his effinn gravestone - 'annoying little ****t who was is dead but he was in the right'. The young kid did not say another word all day - I think he got the message. Tragic that the Ukrainin was hit, but he did not ride with enough due care. They always run red lights in Thailand, so it is up to all the bike riders to keep that in mind.

Download the docs in that link I provided - and read them. And like I said - I recently used the TM28 no problems - and TM30 is for the landlords/owner. Download Form – สำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมือง – Immigration Bureau Note - there is no TM27 on the official list provided by Thai Immigration.