Mike Lister

Me too, but that wasn't what I wrote.

Foreigners are charged more at SOME private hospitals but not all, the option to charge more exists but is not something that is enforced or written into law. It is an option that exists which is at the discretion of the hospital as to how much they charge patients. I can think of two examples in the North where private and semi private (university based hospital) charge everyone the same price, one for inexpensive cataract surgery, the other across the board.

Have at it, let us know how it works out for you.

Oh I'm well on track, you still don't seem to understand that using a private hospital is a choice, the cheaper option is to use the government hospital which you seem to wish to ignore in favour of the marble fountains in the foyer and the 42 inch flat screen. If that more expensive option, that you freely chose, has several pricing options, hey, you made that choice.

Yur a sad man Celsius.

Twenty different policies in thirty different languages, you bet it is.

Why is it unfair, or do you mean you don't like it? You didn't contribute to the Social Security Fund and you aren't a member of the 30 baht scheme, why should you or anyone else receive benefit for something that you haven't contributed to or helped finance? If you were in the UK you would be the first to scream most likely if you read that foreign tourists were visiting, just to use the NHS for free, there is little difference.

And my wife also had a private room in a government hospital when she had her gall bladder removed, that was because she used her Social Security health insurance but she paid an extra 1,000 for the room. The room standard was not even close to that of a Bumrungrad or Bangkok Hospital room, a small old style TV that had poor reception and few channels, a room badly in need of a paint job and a bed that was nothing more than a thin foam mattress on a raised platform.

The words Thai Baht are frequently shown as Thai Bath in signs displayed by locals, many locals believe that is the way the currency is spelled. AN posters can be forgiven in part for being uncertain what the prefered spelling is in the non-native English language country.

Private hospitals are just that, private businesses that all have different overheads and buying power. No two private hospitals can possibly charge the same amount and remain profitable, unless they are both owned by the same company.

If you go to a government hospital you wont get gouged, you'll just get treated. But you wont get the 42 inch flat screen, the private room, the en-suite, the Western food, lots of English speaking staff, the marble fountain in the foyer, the choice of doctor, pizza and fried chicken delivered to your room from the shops downstairs.....it's your call.

One problem area for me is how to play Asia and the Far East. I held FSSA Asia Focus for a long time but eventually sold it a few months ago because of disappointing performance. The time is right to get back into that territory but it's a question of knowing how to divide it up and hold it. Stewart Investors Asian Leaders is solid but with over 46% in India it's too concentrated. Invesco Pacific looks very good but only if you believe Japan at 35% has any life left. plus it's expensive at 0.90% iShares EM is another choice but I prefer managed funds FSSA is a plodder but I kinda wanted something more fun (but not too much) How to divide and concentrate India, China, Japan and the lesser territories is not easy, does anyone have any suggestions?

Anybody care to crystal ball gaze and anticipate how and when this current surge will end? I was playing a defensive game, which I suspect many others were also, the current upturn took me by surprise because there's been so many bull traps in the past year. Yet all the market commentators have revised their year end targets for the S&P, most to over 5,000 (it's 4,700 currently and down 1.5% overnight). I think 5,200 is fantasy, valuations were already very high. I suspect the markets are oversold and will fall back, there's no justification for 5,200, even if rates do start to fall at start 2Q. All the economic forecasts are that Asian countries GDP will outstrip those in the West plus Chinese shares are very cheap right now, that will certainly change at some point.

It was a private joke Lorry which referenced a prior conversation. The poster gad previously presented as a CRS guru but was subsequently shown to be the opposite.

I'm going to do a cut and paste on the things you said, just looking for the right place. You like to announce in grand style all the things you (say you) are but I think you're a phoney, a Walt.

Are you a CRS expert?

Keep the faith man, this too shall pass.

All of this is so OTT, school fees, plane tickets, it is not natural to speculate on these things at this stage, some of you guys will put yourselves in early graves, seriously!

Now I understand. Yes, that is an issue. There's usually a clue when they ask, "do you want a receipt" or failing that, simply don't give you one. There is no ethos here that people should pay their fair share or contribute, I think much of that stems from corruption further up the chain and the thinking that is government can do it, so can I..

Like a man by accepting I broke the rules, not like some churlish child by penalising any Thai that I can.

The Beach Road girls will be thrilled, ten for the price of one.

A national crackdown at Xmas, peak holiday time for tourists and the Immi folk are demanding passports and visa inspections when everyone's out trying to enjoy their holiday........you couldn't make this up. You have drink driving crackdowns at Xmas, you don't harass tourists at Xmas.

Ah, you're talking about VAT receipts, I'm talking personal income tax, the tax on income from people working. VAT is an indirect tax, income tax is a direct tax.

Just one point, the government is not impoverished, some people are saying it is but there's no proof of that, all the evidence is to the contrary. Exports, tourism, government debt, reserves, they are all in very very positive territory so linking this tax initiative with impoverishment is inappropriate. The IMF is actually urging them to increase deficit spending to build out infrastructure, in other words, borrow more! That is not to say they wont blow their current position with these 10k giveaways which could turn the whole thing on its head. The realties are that the tax net in Thailand is the smallest one in ASEAN and the numbers have been falling for years. Revenue from direct taxation is less than 2% of the budget whereas in the West it is in excess of 35%. The stated desire has long been to increase the number of people in the net, now they are extended the size of the net as well. But it will be several years before any real financial benefit is seen, by which time the current financial giveaway proposals will be history.

The banks will probably not demand you get a TIN. Tax is deducted from Interest at source, it's only if you want to recover that tax that a TIN is required. And the RD is quite happy if you decide not to recover that tax.