Mike Lister

I read that as being from the date stamp on departure to the date stamp on arrival, which is manageable to some degree since you would need to go airside before midnight for most long hauls. The problem is that the same day could count as being resident in two different countries, which can add up over the year.

A couple of links may help some: Citywire is extremley useful for fund and fund manager selection https://citywire.com/funds-insider/investments The investor forum below is often worth reading to understand what others are doing and how they view things, there are several highly experienced investors who are members and moderators. My experience is that it's a great place to ask questions but beware, if you state something as fact, you had better be right otherwise members will suddenly appear and destroy you...... it's a no nonsense no BS place. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/savings-investments

The US markets represent 50% of the investable world, it is so big that nobody has been able to analyze all the funds successfully in the same way that analysts have in the smaller UK market. Because of this, it makes far greater sense to cover the entire market with an index tracker or possibly two, rather than trying to identify above average performers. And if that coverage is via an ETF, its quick and easy to get in and out. I think the right coverage for me is an S&P Tracker and based on the economy, a Russell 2000 (small cap) tracker, at that point the US is done and dusted, inexpensively and comprehensibly.

Thanks, I already spotted those but useful to repeat. FWIW I take 100 mg Vit C along with the hormone, to improve absorption. (per my hormone doc.)

If you have a long stay visa it would make sense to go to the Revenue Office and obtain a Thai Tax Identification Number (TIN). Then, as you say, you can claim back the tax on interest that will be withheld at source. And since you're here, you may wish to read up at some point on Thai Personal Income Tax! :)

Yes, another reason to monitor the Dry Baltic Exchange.

I went through an IT phase and it didn't work out well! They are great for dividend income but their relatively higher in and out costs means you need better than normal performance. I have a chum who went heavily into Baillie Gifford IT's, SM, Edinburgh, Monks etc and was doing great, until he found himself down 50% and he's still way down. Agility is important, I think, plus really big funds tend not to be very nimble.

May I respectfully suggest that you read the document linked below again because it appears you haven't read it all or perhaps not understood parts of it? You have raised a lot of questions, the majority of which of which are answered in the document! The RD has not always been willing to issue TIN's in the past, there have been reports where some people have been refused. As far as I can tell, the reason for that was because the person didn't have a visa that allowed them to stay long enough to become tax resident. I strongly suspect that in going forward, the RD will be more willing to issue TIN's. The other point I will make is that you don't have to prove anything, what you have to do is to file a tax return that is truthful and be able to prove it is so, if asked, which is not a standard part of the tax filing process.

I agree things may change but I don't believe there is even the smallest chance that the banks will deduct tax from transfers, at source, that's almost impossible to do because the banks don't know who is tax resident and who is not, nor what funds are assessable or not.

I don't know about the visa but it makes sense in that more than 2 x 90 days in a calendar year, would make you tax resident which would point towards you not being a common or garden variety of tourist.

It's an emotive subject, more so for some than for others. If anyone is unable to find answers to their questions or I don't see it's been asked, please feel free to message me and we'll try to find an answer.

I recognize fully the extent to which many people are scared at present, my inbox has notes from many of them. Which is why we agreed to collectively write the document that we have, in order to inform and raise awareness. I don't think that ignoring all of this is a good solution, even if the outcome could be that not much changes at all. If anyone needs help understanding the issues they can post questions in the thread I posted, alternatively they are welcome to PM me. I think a little bit of education will go a long way for most people.

If we dig further into this aspect we will end up far outside the scope of the things this thread hopes to discuss because we get into the realm of what information is shared between governments and Central Banks as a result of global and regional agreements. I seriously do not want to see a debate develop on this point because it was discussed in the 200 page thread repeatedly and still no definitive answer was arrived at. If anyone wants to understand more on this information sharing aspects, the 200+ page thread is the place to find it and I'll link it below. Let me just say however that any person who makes a cash withdrawal in one country using an ATM card from another, provides the basis of tracking data (card number and issuing bank) which can easily be traced by the banks and network providers such as Mastercard and Visa, to disclose name of the account holder and other identity data. Technically those things are easily possible. Politically and practically it may be a different story since it will depend on agreements for international data sharing.

I do not, I'm sorry I can't help. If you need a Tax Accountant for other reasons, such as a business you own, that's one thing. But if you're looking for a Tax Accountant because of the new rules for filing tax next year, I think you are jumping the gun and the best thing to do is wait until more news is released by the Revenue. No Tax Accountant will know more than everyone already knows at present, what we all need now is some new news.

I've just returned from a visit to an ophthalmologist who took photographs of my eye and asked if I have diabetes, which I don't/didn't. Apparently, one eye has what appears to be water droplets around the iris, something usually seen in diabetics. She didn't make the connection, despite me being referred to her by the surgeon who removed my thyroid two months ago. I was about to go and get a quick A1C when I realized that my thyroid dosage is still not stable and that at its present level it has probably caused an increase in my blood glucose levels. Presumably, once the synthetic hormone levels become stable, the blood glucose levels should normalize, Has anyone else experienced this?

As I just wrote in a reply to another poster elsewhere, we don't know what the tax rules will be for filing in first quarter next year, those rules are very unclear and uncertain. But we do know what the rules are for filing this first quarter and what this whole business has made painfully clear is that many foreigners in Thailand have not realised that they were obliged to file a tax return, every year. I strongly suggest everyone read the document at the begining of the OP.

That is 100% correct, we do not yet understand what all the taxation rules will be for filing during first quarter NEXT year. The possible outcomes range from there being no change at all, to, a large number of people having to pay tax. But we do understand what the taxation rules are for filing tax returns during first quarter THIS year. What this whole issue has highlighted is that many foreigners did not understand that they have an obligation to file a tax return every year. My strongest recommendation is that every person read the document in the link below.

There is a simple explanation of the personal income tax system here, in a thread in the finance section, it's pinned and called a simple guide to personal tax for foreigners, linked below.

Only the amount you remit to Thailand.

Yes. The threshold that determines whether you need to file a return or not is 120k but the point in the tax tables where you begin to pay tax is 150,001

Thanks, I like reading positive reports like yours, especially since I'm getting ready to have mine done! :) I've worn glasses ever since I was 4 years old so I have no problem continuing to wear them. I like the physical protection they afford, they've prevented me from being poked in the eye many times in my life. I also like the UV protection aspect. This is why I'm only interested in the basic cataract procedure rather than changing my vision also. But yes, 60k, 15 years ago, was pricey back then.

It's a lot of data for sure. But if you think about it, everyone involved in the chain needs a record in order to balance their respective books and update accounts and to retrace their steps, in case an issue arises.

I've removed a couple of posts that questioned moderator actions and comments on other posts. If you wish to discuss such things, please PM me or contact support but leave the thread clear of such remarks so that it remains more easily readable. Thanks

You are both correct and both broadly saying the same things! (except the threshold is 120k, not 150k)

When somebody from the UK, for example, places their HSBC UK debit card into a Bangkok Bank ATM card in Thailand and withdraws 10,000 baht in foreign currency, details of that transaction, card holder and card number remain with Bangkok Bank, HSBC UK, the visa/mastercard bank network that drives the ATM and the Thai central bank (because a foreign currency transaction is involved). All those entities need to capture that information so that the transaction can be reconciled and settled.