Mike Lister

Funny you should mention motorcycle helmets, my wife observed only yesterday whilst we were sat at a light how many people war helmets these days. It is not too complicated, it is actually remarkably simple and for most people will be almost the same thing, year in year out. In these days of spreadsheets and PC's, making a simple calculation is easy done, thereafter it's a form filling exercise. I start tracking mine in January of each year, for the following year, it's part of my budgeting and expense process that takes a few minutes each week. Come January I request statements from my banks, I also order statements of interest paid and tax with held, the banks do the whole thing for us. I think what is daunting for most average people at this stage is the fear of the unknown, fear of "The Revenue" and the lack of familiarity with the subject matter. Get stuck in, the RD people are super helpful and will do it for you if you ask,they are used to foreigners asking for help. This time next year you'll look back and laugh and wonder what all the kerfuffle was about.

It isn't, the issue here is dogs peeing on lampposts and marking their territory!

Nonsense, that's not a recommendation, not in any shape or form. It's a hypothesis and an extrapolation of an assumption regarding what banks may do and how they may act.

That's really dangerous, not only does that not work against dengue but it will also lead to antibiotic resistance.

This is not about pump attendants not resetting the pump to zero although that is always a valid concern and the frequent source of scams. This issue is about altered or uncalibrated metering at the pump, the meter is set to zero and appears to deliver a full amount but doesn't.

Once again, Guavaman has simplified complexity and brought greater understanding to the subject matter, thank you.

That would only hold true if you filed a joint return, if your income was zero and your wife's income was over 120k but she filed her own return, you almost certainly would not have to. I/we have been in that position in years gone by when I have not filed but my wife has.

"While they can seem pointless and purely irritating to us humans, mosquitoes do play a substantial role in the ecosystem. Mosquitoes form an important source of biomass in the food chain—serving as food for fish as larvae and for birds, bats and frogs as adult flies—and some species are important pollinators". https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/mosquitos-exist-elephants-donkeys-used-represent-gop-democrats-180973517/#:~:text=While they can seem pointless,some species are important pollinators. I very nearly substituted the word Australians for Mosquitoes but please note that I didn't. :))

Not a big question at all, most countries specify the criteria for filing a tax return, in many cases the threshold is as low as GBP 1,000 or is left open by saying, "any income".

As I recall, the UK I/O asks the visa holder if anything has changed, if she lies in answer to that question her visa can be cancelled.

Or perhaps I never violated the rule, because my stays were rarely more than 90 in 180, if ever (pre-2004).

I have several but many don't, I think it's boiling from syndrome or the thought that life is shorter than it really is.

Not in my experience there wasn't. I lived in Hong Kong and would travel to Bangkok at least twice a month on visa exempt. The biggest problem I ever had was when an I/O said, you have visited Thailand many times and I replied, yes.

Those were the good old days, in the 1990's and 2000's when you could sneer at the I/O and tell him , hurry up, I don't have all bloody day !

It's not as black and white as that. There are many people who relocated here years ago who were well funded but because of global economics and personal circumstances, combined with longevity, became underfunded. There are several classifications and people can move from one classification to another, solely because of circumstances.

You don't understand economics, do you! When people spend more, that increases Consumer Consumption, which in turn increases GDP, which in turn is a sign of a stronger economy, which in turn causes the currency to strengthen.

Yes, I agree, I didn't write what I did very well! China is cheap but more importantly, the US is very expensive, that imbalance can't remain as stark as it is forever, that doesn't necessarily mean that China will stop being cheap! Charlie Munger...."all leaves eventually fall to the ground".

+ swampy, DM, Chiang Rai and Hat Yai expansions https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/policies/40033237

Not in my neighbourhood it isn't, nor in the places I visit in Thailand.

Absolutely agree! When I think that I could be back "home" in my own country, a place: that now has the highest cocaine use per capita in Europe; not only has defibrillators in red boxes on the street but also stab wound emergency care kits, because knife crime is so far out of control; where the wait time for an operation in the health care system is measured in years; utility bill costs during winter mean some older people have to choose between heat or food; shoppers in many stores, no longer shop and pay, instead the norm has become to shop and leave; I'm very happy that my biggest concern living here is whether or not I'll have to pay 5% extra Thai tax on 200 Pounds of imported income next year.

I sense an increase in agent fees is coming. I personally welcome the move, I was getting so tired of signing the same 56 pieces of paper, twice, it's about time some new ones were added to the stack.

Yes, PND 90 and 91 are the two main forms but even the short form is still a tax return., even though it's an abbreviated format for a specific aspect.

It especially doesn't make sense Immi having those discussions in December 2023 when the rule change hasn't come into effect yet. Ah silly me, the words sense and Immi., in the same sentence, sorry everyone.

That's the most frightening thing I've heard all year, an Immi officer asking questions about foreign taxation when many don't even understand what a fixed deposit in a Thai bank is. There is no hope for mankind, all hope is lost.

I said elsewhere previously that I worked in Hong Kong for several years whilst also maintaining a home in the UK. I used a UK credit card to settle my HK expenses which were quite high at times. I would usually fly home around once a month for a few days and settle my card bills in the UK. despite these things, HSBC UK called me and wanted to know where I lived etc because of the charges on my M/C. Others reported similar, it doesn't take long for them to pick pick up on things.