bamboozled

Hi folks,

Sure I have searched the forum and read various things about my question but there seems to be a lot of ambiguous info. I have a Thai ltd. company with two Thai partners. I am American and hold the majority. The company was incorporated 6 years ago and has never made a profit. In fact, after the first year or two it became dormant…meaning I do yearly accounting on it but have no receipts either incoming or outgoing. My accountant is always telling me to close it since I don't need it (at least for now) and says that maybe I could have some problems with the powers that be since it doesn't turn a profit. That is the murky area…what problems might I encounter? Has anyone ever had a problem from the government because they keep a dormant company. Again, I am doing the yearly accounting… Since it is somewhat costly and involved to open a company I am adverse to closing it…might I need it in the future to renew my business endeavors or to buy property or….? I have heard anecdotal evidence it has become harder to open a company for a farang but is that true? I am also married now to a Thai which changes some of the reasons for opening a company, such as, a business venture can be in her name with a lot less hassles.

So, my main question is: does anyone have a first hand experience of any problems in having a Thai ltd. company that just does yearly accounting but turns no profit nor has any invoicing?

Thanks all, cheer, Bamboozled (in Chiang Mai).

"ski"…that should read "soi"

there's a shop near Wororot that has it in spools and you buy however many meters you want. Hmm, not sure how to tell you to find it…ACtually, if you go down Chang Moi and go left after crossing over the khlong…it's on the left side on the corner of a small ski just past…is it Kassem's that is there?. It's next to a very popular soup place and before a big shop selling temple supplies, candles and the like.

If you go down the road toward the river from the north east corner of the moat…I believe it's the road that the US embassy is on…There is a shop on the left-hand side just before the traffic light that I think does neon signs (real neon). Haven't been in it but have been interested in a neon sign for quite a while. I love the old-school effect.

Hi JulieM,

On the road between Santitham and Chotana that finishes/starts at the small bus station on Chotana Rd. (road that goes to Mae Rim) there are a bunch of laser cutting shops that make signs all day long. I'm not sure if they can do what you want but surely if they can't they will know who can.

I had a friend who stayed over night at the sleep clinic in Bumrungrad. 600 some odd bucks I believe.

I never knew anything about an American being able to own 100%. Is this a new rule? I am an American with a company but I only own 49%. It was incorporated about 5 years ago and I had to have 2 partners. Can someone explain?

Thailand Online Apple store...is there a way to view the site in English? I couldn't find it. Or is the US site with shipping to Thailand the same thing?

Thanks...

Update folks: I have been in contact with the Boston consulate. I was told that they can indeed issue an O type visa. I will be going in October. Thanks all.

Thanks, Mequite, I appreciate it.

I had to have a flat fixed on my Honda Dream 125 scooter and so the back wheel was taken off. While replacing the tube I had the guy change the brake pads. 240 baht later I was off and all things were fine...except, there is something making a slight noise and vibration from down underneath. It seems to be with every rotation of the wheel or chain. I will take it to another mechanic and ask about it but I'm rather curious as to what it is...does anyone know? Is it the chain scraping something? The wheel put back not 100% true and so...something is grazing another part? Does it have to do with the brakes? I do have some mechanical knowledge with cars...older ones and though I am not going to investigate this noise myself and get my hands dirty I am intersted if anyone knows what is going on. I think it is a pretty minor and stupid issue and I believe it has happend to me in the past.

Anyhow, anyone?

Thank you.

On Chotana Rd, if you take it from the moat about a km down there is a stop light. On your right will be the small bus station. On the left is a road that leads to Santitam. Take that road. On the right side about 150m down is a shop that does laser cutting and sign making of all types. Actually, there are two shop for laser cutting on that road. They can do plastic, wood, metal, foam, etc....

Gotcha, okay, thank you. The multi is dandy. I suppose I like to have all the info...just in case.

Cheers.

Yes yes I've had many multi B visas over the years, I know the 90 day drill well. I never gave the single entry visa a thought as I was always coming and going and the multi entry was necessary. Now that my situation has changed and I have no need to leave Thailand on a regular basis I was just wondering if it made sense to get a single entry. Isn't there often the check box at the top of the form asking if you want a single or a multi?

Ubon Joe thank you for the quick reply. In regard to single entry/multi entry, I am referring to a 1 year single entry visa (there is such a thing, correct?). If so, how do the 90 day visa runs work? Hmm, I must be missing something...it doesn't make sense.

I will be needing my second Type O visa based on marriage at about the time I am in Boston. Are there any reports of getting one there? No, I don't have the money in the bank to show but it would certainly be easier than going to Laos once I get back to Thailand. I have gotten a multiple entry B there in the past.

As for multiple entry vs. single entry visas I have always obtained mulitple entry visas thinking I would lose the visa if I had to leave the country on only a single entry. But stupid me, am I correct now in understanding that one must simply obtain a re-entry permit (at a certain cost) to keep the visa?

But if I must do a border run every 90 days...it would be easier and more economical to get a multi?

...multiple thank yous.

honey only shop on Chang Klan Rd sort of across from Pink Pussy Outlet, I believe. I've never been in it.

And there are some great shops in there, too.

My cousin is soon to be moving to Chaing Mai (the end of September I believe) and is arriving with a dog and two cats. And a very pregnant wife. Can anyone recommend a short term furnished rental where they could all stay while looking for a suitable long-term rental? I suggested they put the animals in a nice kennel somewhere while they look but I realize it is much nicer to have the animals at home for all involved. Can anyone advise on this or have a solution?

Thank you.

I still shudder and cringe thinking about the brute ugliness of that Power Buy building and the poured concrete "lawn" around it from my first glimpse about a month ago. Come on Chiang Mai! Wake up! Will the city just let anyone build anything with no thought at all to beauty and historic preservation? I know, money talks, obviously. But isn't Unesco heritage city tossed around now and again? The moat is the foremost visual and cultural icon of Chiang Mai, I think, and to turn the area around it into a prefabricated tin can shopping mall is a shame. This of course has been going on for years but it has accelerated to a frentic pace in the last 3 or 4 with building going on nonstop everywhere. We cannot halt the future and I don't want to be a curmudgeon. Part of what makes Thailand fascinating is the dearth of regulations and how buildings and businesses just sprout up in a crazy cacophony of juxtapositions (whoa!). That confusion can be ugly but it is also fascinating and stimulating, I find. However, what makes Chiang Mai special is quickly being eradicated. Certainly "quaint" is becoming an out-of-place adjective to use in describing the "new" Chiang Mai. So be it; I suppose it's futile to try and prevent the inevitable. Perhaps in 20, 30, or 50 years even that Power Buy building will be a fascinating relic of the past. Let's hope. In comparison to the Power Buy building, the condos or apartments about to open up just a bit further down are pretty darn good looking, IMHO. Sure, they are huge and daunting but they do have some artistic merit and visual intrigue. I do believe some thought should go into what is built in and around the old city, and around the moat, and some sort of loose roadmap for the future drawn up. If not for quaintness or culture, then for beauty...and at the very least (or the very most!) for mobility. Auto and bus traffic needs to be drawn away from downtown, not into it. Hey, I'm a believer in the oft tossed around "creative destruction". The destruction part is indeed happening. But where's the creative?

Chiang Mai has itself by the tail and is quickly devouring itself. Okay, I'm a curmudgeon.

Well right about at that time, just before 9 pm, the lights went out in my neighborhood which is between Rajabhat and Kham Tieng market. I saw one flash but didn't hear any thunder following. Figured a transformer or something blew with the rain which had just started. Electric came on again after about 45 minutes.

Guys, thanks for your input. Funny and wonderful occurrence: the mailman beeped outside my house just now and lo and behold he had my license. Sent by a kind soul. All is well that ends well.

Cheers.

I have read differing accounts on this thus my question. I lost my moto license less than a week after receiving it at the CM office. So, to get a replacement, do I or do I not need a police report? Has anyone done this recently?

Thanks so much.

I have a registered business and always ask for proper receipts when purchasing supplies. I can NEVER get one. They say they CAN'T do it and refuse 100%. They give a bill with the listed items and prices but it is not an official receipt and not valid for tax purposes (for me to deduct my expenses). I am sure it is illegal but they won't budge. These are shops with millions of baht of inventory and business a year. Surely they must report something. It is a big problem for me.

Fantastic, thanks guys. I'm excited to take a look around. Sappersrest, that price translates into 150-300 for a square meter, yes? Just for info purposes in case anyone else is interested, if my memory serves me correctly, the per square meter price for parquet type flooring at Suksawad was 450-600 baht.

Hmm, now you have me dreaming about where I can put an ox cart.