admiraldy

what about us paying income tax and have social security . we need to pay also 300 baht every time we travel .......????

The only problem with Spain is taxes , especially if you want to retire there and own a house , on a 500,000 euro house you have to add 14% registration and various other charges , that is around 70,000 Euro. In Thailand you only pay 2% to register a condo in your name.

In Spain you have to pay real estate tax of at least 7,000 euro yearly on a 570,000 euro house , in Thailand there is no yearly tax on condos .

In addition to income tax , and other types of taxes that are not available in Thailand .

So if taxes are not an issue of course living in Barcelona and watching Messi and co play every week is the better option.

when we are talking about investment , i don't think depositing your money in a bank is a good investment , especially with the low interest being paid currently at max 2.5% (after tax) , and when you deduct the inflation rate per year , which is also around 2.5 to 3% , you are in reality loosing on the real value of your money .

I have to agree with Attrayant post , that real-estate investment is the best choice for a long term investment . an investment in a well maintained condo in a central location with a reputable developer will never loose its value with time , can anyone in this forum give me 1 example of a well maintained condo in a central location in Bangkok loosing its value with time? in contrary a condo will generate income more than a bank and increase in value with time to beat inflation .

The OP has 4 million to invest , it is not a very big sum of money , however he can still manage to buy a small well maintained condo in a central location with a reputable developer .

my first day was during songkran festival in 1995 , i have to say it was a funny experience with all the water splashing , back than it was mainly with buckets and very few water guns . i thought been a foreigner i will be spared , how wrong i was......

when i first came to Bangkok in 1996 it was the same as today: at 35 baht , so for more than 18 years it didn't increase , it is quiet amazing why it didn't increase ,

maybe one reason is that all taxis use gas now , compare to fuel back than , which reduces the cost

what if someone on a tourist visa wants to buy a condo in Bangkok and needs to transfer money to a local Thai bank ,? how he will be able to transfer the money if they dont accept to open an account on a tourist visa ?

In my opinion investing in condos with the purpose of renting them is a good business, maybe the only good business in Thailand. But nobody say how to do it in legal way. A farang can not have an income in Thailand without making a thai company, so can not have an income by investing in condos without making a company. So how to do it? Can someone give a good answer?

Thank you in advance

i dont think that renting a condo is categorized as having an income without a work permit , it is more like a return on investment which i think is legal as long as you pay tax on your rent income yearly , either you are on a tourist visa or retirement visa or investment visa , i believe many members here rent their condos and can give a more accurate answer

The owner is liable under the Condo act.. Common fees will be payable irregardless condo unit is rented out or not, or self-occupied, or just left vacant.

I know that already , i had a condo in bangkok few years ago , however what i am asking is that when people on this forum say they expect 5 or 6 % ROI on rent ;does this mean net return (excluding common fees + yearly tax on the condo ) or is it gross return ?

Just a question ; when renting out a condo , who pays the common fees of the condo ? the owner or the renter

I have seen the brand Ainol in Pantip but since those tablets are without gps or 3g I didn't really look at it.

ZTE: the model at Tesco was V9+. Runs v2.3. ZTE plans to put more equipment on the Thai market in Q3 of this year.

Most cell phones in the market currently perform as wifi hotspot , so for me this eliminate the need of 3g in tablets , here it is worth to mention that a 3g dongle(usb) can be used on ainol novo7 elf2 if needed .

As for this tablet being without gps i agree with you that it is a drawback , however since i have an android smartphone with me this is not a big issue either since i have gps on the phone , and by using this application(below) i can transform the tablet to behave as a gps enabled device

https://play.google....tgps_lite&hl=en

Using a phone (or smartphone) as a wifi hotspot drains the battery very fast.

Only viable for short online stints, or when hooked up to the charger...

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Thaivisa Connect App

It is true , using wifi hotspot drains battery fast , however depending on what smartphone you own , it can still manage to give you at least 4 hours of wifi hotspot with 3g on. i will use the tablet mainly during travel ; to watch movies, play some games while on the plane , bus , train , , and surf the net for short period of times to find restaurants and attractions in the area i am traveling to , so i don't think i will need the internet for more than 1 to 2 hours max while going around , so i think i will be ok with wifi hotspot through smartphone . in addition most malls and department stores offer free wifi to their customers , as well as all decent hotels offer free wifi

i will be traveling to Bangkok next month , so can anyone confirm that i can find the Ainol Tablet in Panthip ? and do Ainol have a booth or it is sold by various shops there ?

I bought an Ainol (with brand name HeroTab) there in June, 4k baht. No telephone or GPS ability, the wifi connection is pretty good, better than my laptop.

The is a counter on the same floor as the eating area, toward the southeast corner of the building. There was also a shop/booth near to to it that had a big HeroTab sign up a month ago but they've taken it down.

No way of knowing if this will still be the case when you get here, these things change fast. It's worth looking around.

And of course be sure it's working before you pay for it.

Thanks for the advice , was the ainol you bought: ainol novo7 elf ?

I have seen the brand Ainol in Pantip but since those tablets are without gps or 3g I didn't really look at it.

ZTE: the model at Tesco was V9+. Runs v2.3. ZTE plans to put more equipment on the Thai market in Q3 of this year.

Most cell phones in the market currently perform as wifi hotspot , so for me this eliminate the need of 3g in tablets , here it is worth to mention that a 3g dongle(usb) can be used on ainol novo7 elf2 if needed .

As for this tablet being without gps i agree with you that it is a drawback , however since i have an android smartphone with me this is not a big issue either since i have gps on the phone , and by using this application(below) i can transform the tablet to behave as a gps enabled device

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.comptonsoft.tgps_lite&hl=en

i will be traveling to Bangkok next month , so can anyone confirm that i can find the Ainol Tablet in Panthip ? and do Ainol have a booth or it is sold by various shops there ?

http://www.thaimobil...timus_Black.asp

http://www.thaimobil...GB.asp?str_ad=y

Thanks , the included websites are very helpful . i am sure jaymart will have a vat refund policy , however i doubt the other shops in MBK which are showing cheaper prices will have a vat refund policy.

Did anyone from TV members bought the above 2 models lately in Bangkok and how much was the price , thanks in advance for your replies .

I know my post is out of topic , however i am intending to buy LG optimus black during my visit to thailand next month , can you please tell me for how much you baught the mobile ?and from where?

What about someone not paying the mobile bill , is it a civil case or can the immigration stop him at the airport

>On tohome.com they are selling it currently at 18900 bt , i wonder if any of you have any idea how much they are selling it currently in MBK .

Tohome usually has close to best prices or maybe 1000THB above within Thailand. With high value of baht I'm sure prices cheaper elsewhere? I wouldn't buy at MBK which is overrun with tourists and expensive. Fortune Mall would be better choice in Bangkok for competitive prices. Buying in Thailand will get you Thai centric software included if you need it.

thanks , so if we say the price is around 18 to 19 k =$590 -620.

I will see if i can find a cheaper price in dubai .

I hope you do know that HTC HD2 runs a discontinued operating system. Windows mobile 6.xx is no longer supported by Microsoft or the community who makes apps for it. Windows Mobile 7 is going to be released at the end of next month.

yes i am aware of that , it is not an issue for me , anyway i can change the os to android if i wish , many users of hd2 have done it and it is working fluently , however i will stick with window mobile since i am used to it .

Hi Guys , i am planning to buy an HTC hd2 smart phone , i will be in bangkok within a month , i was wondering whether i should buy it from MBK or buy it from a duty free shop on my way to bangkok .

On tohome.com they are selling it currently at 18900 bt , i wonder if any of you have any idea how much they are selling it currently in MBK .

The price is dropping because a new model of HD2 is going to hit the market soon , so if any of you where in MBK lately or are going to MBK this WE can you please check the price .

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

I have lived in countries were the militias retaliated to revenge their people being attacked by the govenment , by invading all the govenment and military bases in their stronghold provinces , i hope the thai government has taken this option under consideration when they decided to go ahead with their carackdown ,

the whole northeast provinces can fall under the hands of red shirts militias including army barricades police stations and government offices .

This is certainly a danger so martial law and a shoot to kill directive is a lesser evil if push comes to shove. One thing is certain when the dust settles, Abhisit should make his first priority completely dismantling the police and starting again. If there was a police force that enforced the law regardless of the personal feelings of individual officers then nearly all of this mess could have been avoided.

i really doubt that martial law will have any effect in the northeast provinces were the majority are red shirts , what can few hundred police officers do with houndred of thousands of angry protesters , even the army cannot shoot at thousand of protesters in the northeast , and keep in mind many army officers come from that region . again i hope none of this happen , however i am just talking from my past experince in some third world countries

I have lived in countries were the militias retaliated to revenge their people being attacked by the govenment , by invading all the govenment and military bases in their stronghold provinces , i hope the thai government has taken this option under consideration when they decided to go ahead with their carackdown ,

the whole northeast provinces can fall under the hands of red shirts militias including army barricades police stations and government offices .

what happened yesterday night and tonight is very dangerous , and if the situation is not solved asap this chaos can very easily result in a very nasty civil war between bangkokians and issanians (upcountry) , having confrontation between demonstraters and security forces is something and civilians fighting each other is something different totally .

The hatred that is being created between both parties if not resolved asap will leave a lasting effect for a long time to come

does AIS or DTAC have a plan where you can change your prepaid sim card to a postpaid sim card , without loosing your current cell number?

Firring live rounds in the air is dangerous also ,live bullets that goes in the air will surely come down, and if it hits someone in the head it is deadly , so whenever you hear heavy gunshots try to take cover under a roof.