Mike Lister

You could reclaim the VAT at the airport. But to be clear, all of this is a very hypothetical scenario and represents only a technical view. I just don't believe that credit card users in Thailand are going to come up on the RD radar as a result of these purchases, nor that taxpayers will be obliged to declare them.

No, I don't think so, but you do get an A+ for effort. :) I think that when you made your purchase in Thailand you effectively exchanged money for goods or service in Thailand, that would almost certainly be the taxable event - you agreed to buy, the seller agreed to sell, you provided remuneration for goods or services received. The fact the money you paid was on credit is not material, neither was the source or location of the funds you used to settle the credit line. Queue the challenges.....:))

Three days in and it appears that retirees/pensioners from Italy and Norway (at least) have been filing tax returns in Thailand, in order to take advantage of lower rates of tax. And also that some posters have received the forms in the mail but thrown them away, I also did that for a few years, many years ago. Receiving those forms means that taxes were filed at one point and that the RD have the taxpayers address.

I don't buy that explanation for one second, it smacks very much of copying the idea that hospitals are owed millions because foreigners don't pay their bills! A card that is not issued isn't charged for, the banks overhead to keep an account open is extremely low.

I think you should hang on to any account that you open here, you'll never know when you might want to use it and opening a new one in the future might be difficult.

It sounds as though you've taken extreme measures for somebody who doesn't believe the new system will be implemented or enforced, you've already left as a precaution and it's not due for another year! You say one thing but you do another!

Exactly, the tax system already exists, it's in service and is used by millions. The one simple rule change is the only thing that new yet many posters look at it as if an entire new expat tax system is being rolled out but will be stopped in its tracks before D-Day.......it isn't those things at all.

I don't think that's particularly meaningful or useful to be honest, it's just a bunch of every day people passing off the cuff comments. I thought you'd come across something that was more substantial.

Interesting trivia....the Thai corporate tax system ranks as 49 out of 64 on the list of most complex tax systems whereas the UK ranks number 39. https://www.taxcomplexity.org/

Can you explain what you mean when you say this tax scheme, exactly what do you think will not be implemented?

Firstly, if you look at the document we produced in the Simple Tax thread, and also read the second post, you will see that we are careful to ensure that everyone understands that the purpose of the document is to inform, not to advise. Nowhere does it even remotely suggest that I, or anyone connected with the thread, is a tax expert, in any country, nor will tax advice be given. In fact, we state categorically, at the outset, that we are not any of those things. Secondly, you are American and having lived in the US for almost two decades, I am aware of the average American persons near total reliance on the likes of HR Block (or similar) to prepare even basic tax returns and of the tax preparation industry in your country. In the UK, we have nothing even comparable, we trust ourselves to be capable of understanding basic tax rules and performing basic math, which is why the UK tax authority allows us to do self assessment online, without the need to rely on the likes of an HR Block equivalent. In a nutshell, our cultures and approach to tax preparation are very different, as are our respective education systems. I should also point out the Thai Revenue Department also trusts its citizens because tax filing system has been online for several years and regular, every day Thai people, are entrusted to enter their own tax data and prepare their own tax returns. I suppose if you take the view that the average Western expats in Thailand is far less capable than the native population in Thailand, your suggestion that we all need Thai CPA's to file tax returns, might be valid! Thirdly, I understand that Americans will always advocate the use of CPA's for tax preparation, which for tax affairs above anything other than the basic level, is probably a sound idea, especially in a foreign country. However, most reasonably well educated and equipped individuals who have filed taxes previously in their own country, are eminently capable of filing a simple tax return in Thailand. If of course they are uncomfortable with such things, there are plenty of CPA's around who will do the work for a fee, but that is not necessarily always the default case and starting point for everyone. If all else fails, I suppose expats could always ask the locals how to file a return since they seem not to need tax preparers! Lastly, I am never going to give anyone tax advice, other than perhaps my wife, I'll happily cast an opinion and tell people what I think about individual aspects of tax, if asked, (because this is after all a social network forum that discusses tax), providing I know, but advice, no/ These threads are not in that business and if anyone things differently they should go back and reread carefully the things that have been said. And lastly lastly, I don't mind that posters such as you and others post denigrating comments about their perceptions. The realities, however, are that in over 240 pages, over 6,300 posts discussing tax, that have endured for many bilious weeks, none of the participants have been able to stop debating the quality of air in a vacuum long enough, in a repetitive circular fashion, to produce anything even remotely useful to the average expat. I make no apologies that we have brought an end to that often gut wrenching exchange and produced something of value that ordainary people can understand. I understand that a handful of posters are annoyed at that but the thread has been a talking shop, a mutual ego stroking competition to see who is the biggest "expert" or most capable hypothetical thinker, for many weeks. I hope that clears up some of the misperceptions you have very clearly been under.

Interestingly, the local villain's but that involves effort.

The Thai ID card number is their tax ID number, all Thais have one.

"China Weighs Stock Market Rescue Package Backed by $278 Billion". https://www.bloomberg.com/asia See, you're probably too late now! I told you should have listened. :))

I carry my water bill with me where ever I go, doesn't everyone. :)

Please read the article in the op and come back with any outstanding issues.

It was put to a forum vote quite some time ago, perhaps other mods or admin staff can spend lots of their time proving this to you, I regret I cannot.

Sorry, same poster, same topic, different thread, he started two discussions on the same subject. The subject has been frequently discussed and also put to the vote, 50/50, emojis or not. I don't make policy and there is no desire to change it, even if some individuals want it changed. Can please some of the people......you know.

Read what admin has said on this subject, in an earlier post.

I've opened this thread once again and we'll see how it goes, please keep it civil

It's a policy issue, I can see who's posting them where and when and remove them individually but that's all.

Dunno, were they taken away, were you bad? :))

Moderators can still do that, we see who is posting emjoi's and if it looks excessive something will get done about it. One poster, yesterday, received 15 sad emoji's in quick succession, from the same poster, which is just unreasonable. Said emoji poster is now, er, resting.

As a general rule you can only push money, you can't pull it. That means you can issue an instruction to send funds but you can't request the funds be sent to you, I hope the distinction is clear. For example, you couldn't call the bank and ask the funds be sent to you but you can go into the bank and send them yourself. So that means either your presence in the bank or the app. If you use the app overseas you will be limited to daily transfer limits which vary from bank to bank. The bank will also want to know more about the funds and will need to see the blue sales/tax paid receipt issued by the Land Office. If you keep issuing 800k transfer instructions, it's likely the bank will stop you and ask questions, that's my best guess, what they might require afterwards is unclear. A POA using a lawyer would work but you need to pick carefully and have lots of confidence in the lawyer.

If you are working here without a work permit you are breaking the law and you seem to understand that, as such you cannot realistically expect this forum to advise how to pay tax on illegal earnings. There is no realistic way to reconcile the two issues of work permit and tax. Please do not pursue this discussion here as any posts that do, will be removed. The funds that you receive in Thailand from overseas may or may not be taxable, it depends how you account for them and it depends on the amounts involved. If they are a gift from your parents, that may be one tax free solution but only you can decide which way to proceed.