Irene

A speedy resolution is needed western markets open soon and Thai shares will begin to dive if this is not cleared up soon. moreover violence in BKK and soldiers retreating carries all the overtones of what happened two years ago. What a pity the baht doing fine, international confidence in Thai economy high and now along comes this trouble inspired by a former leader from abroad.

Ummm sorry but over this time period the markets have not done what you seem to be predicting. Many people have predicted a crash in the SET or the Baht and so far all have been disappointed.

You can say that again. This morning, a decline by a few points in a level of concern but not panick and may rise in the afternoon.

If it's the same as my old 10 Year Visa, the 10 year period refers to the length of validity of the visa, not the permitted length of stay. I used to travel to the US regularly in the 90's, and then it was up to US Immigration to determine length of stay upon arrival. In my experience, the maximum stay was 6 months but generally they'd ask you your purpose of visit and proposed length of stay, and of it was more than a few weeks, you'd need sufficient evidence to warrant an extended stay. I would imagine it's a lot stricter now, but you've done the hard part and at least got the visa.

That is correct. I had the same experience. Even in those days, a 10-year visa is not routinely given.

Make a deal and get Thailand back on track. That is what is good for the thai people. For us Farang, lets hope they keep airing this crap and the protests continue to weaken the bhat.

Baht has been strengthening and expected to reach 31.5 baht per us dollar by end year. Overseas inflow of funds to Thailand stock market for the last 20 trading days has been predominantly net buyers in the market causing almost 10% rise in the index. To a big surprise to most Thais, the disturbance of the red=shirts has not caused any concern to the overseas investors. It is the locals who have been selling most.

I also wonder why the foreign investor have so much confidence in the Thai market?

When I was a boy, going to junior school in a little back street in NE England, we once had a nature lesson, all about Chameleons, how they could change colour to avoid detection. I was probably about 8 at the time, and was absolutely fascinated learning about this strange creature. I never imagined then, that one day, I would be sitting in my garden, here in Thailand, watching a couple of these creatures climbing on plants in my garden, while I enjoyed breakfast. Truly magical.

This is really fresh air. I too had that experience to the extent of being grateful of being alive (whether in Thailand or UK).

One post deleted for excessive profanity. If you can't type a complete sentence without the word <deleted>, don't waste your time, it will just be trashed.

'cdnvic',

Thanks! Sometimes, you could do the same with crudeness from a few.

Folks,

I thank you all for the input. I am really impressed with the responses. I posed the question at 7.32 am and by 14.24 pm of the same day, I have got all the guidances which are so balanced and helpful. One still has to be selective especially on salty contents but comfortable to know a margin of safety especially from the referred websites.

I posed the same question weeks ago with one famous answering forum and received three short replies of full clearances with no caveat. It took 20 days to receive that three replies.

I will try to reciprocate whenever I can.

Where in UK can you have a lovely 80 sq m condo furnished for under 40,000 pounds,a meal out for 2 for under 10 pounds, a good car for under 15,000 pounds,a first class fitness centre for 140 pounds a year,,massage for 4 pounds for 2 hours?

Yes the pound a at a low point of a cycle-but it is a cycle and eventually it will change.

So on the economic side I still think the cost of living is about 40% cheaper even now.

Then if you can stand months of no sun and cold rain (even in summer!) I suppose the UK has some plus points.

But I am a fairly decent looking and fit 60 + and completely invsible to any reasonablec looking lady in the UKunder say 45-50.

I have a lovely 35 year old Thai wife ,educated to degree level,speaking good English from a middle class background-her parents are younger than me but supportive.My first relationship here was bad and I was told a lot of lies but as this is my 8th year in Thailand and I cannot imagine going back to live in the UK

Great to know especially on your in-laws being supportive and wife being a degree-holder. You must be a nice guy too to be in this lucky position.

My family is fond of frozen foods because of the varieties and passable taste, some are even better than my cooking. But wonder whether there are disadvantages like canned foods or cancerous.

Years ago when I was still coming here yearly as a tourist, my closest friend decided he was going to come with me one summer. I refused, he was insulted. But he was a cleanliness nut. I knew that he would never be happy here in Thailand with those ingrained feelings. On the other hand, he adored long summer vacation in the English countryside. I wouldn't have been happy there at all.

Your cleanlines friend should have tried Thailand for once, he may find Thailand refreshing from his monotonous likes. I used to be like that and I can now take roadside foods.

I wouldn't say that Thailand was a fantastic place and bang on about how wonderful it is but, for me, it is now home and I am happier here than I ever was in the UK although I can't exactly say why. Perhaps a combination of a better climate, the availability of the bar scene although I rarely frequent it, the more relaxed attitude to law enforcement on the roads (No speed cameras at least not in Pattaya) and a generally more relaxed approach to life.

It's certainly far from perfect but short of a revolution or running out of money I can't see me ever returning to the UK.

Snap.

This is the right attitude. But mind you sometimes you can be homesick like walking in a park under crispy weather.

OP did not state his dislikes on Thailand but merely wondered why high praise of Thailand. I ask myself on the whole whether I am happy here. I dislike people to tell OP to go back to the UK. They are short on comprehension and rational response, just like a Thai tells you to go home when he is short of reasons.

i said Thailand was on about a even with living back in the UK

Really?

Do you pay 17% vat, 10,000-15,000 ThB per month in council tax, and more still in personal income tax in Thailand? Do you incur pay for play costs any time you want to park you car or truck somewhere? Do you pay 50-60 ThB per liter for diesel? Is it 10-15degC and raining half the year in Thailand? Do you pay top dollar for basic food staples such as fresh fruit, rice and meat? And are you able to walk down the street to the village farm stand to buy much of what you need?

I built a home in Thailand with cash, a nice home that would have cost me 3-4 times as much in the UK or US. And it's bought and paid for with no need to worry about the shackles of a 30-year mortgage. Doing that would never have been affordable or even possible in the US or UK.

I loved living in the UK when I was on a nice expat package and could sustain a nice lifestyle, but I couldn't imagine trying to make ends meet there without it. A lot of people eek out a living in the UK on a salary of 20-30k quid, but it's not exactly an enviable lifestyle. Thailand is not without its share of problems, but cost of living and standard of living is probably not at the top of the list, which seems contrary to the UK.

Or are you just homesick? Do you miss going down the pub with your mates for a few pints? Is your cup half-full or half-empty? If your pluses total up more than your minuses, then you're a heck of a lot better off than the vast majority of the world's population.

Almost a perfect answer and I share the view. But some like to "suffer" just for the sake of patriotism.

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In addition to export quick revival and strangely stable incoming tourists, there have been heavy foreign investment in thailand stock exchange for two or three weeks now being its only net buyers while the locals are net sellers. The hot money helps to strengthen the baht and also helping to raise the stock index when the index should have drastically gone down hill in view of the frenzy red-shirt threatening anarchy. Foreign investors still come in as net buyers because they believe the baht will strengthen further possibly to 31. So, they could end up when the hot money is moved out, not only capital gain will they earn but also exchange gain. Is this reasonable expectation? Greek tragedy and US balance deficits substantiate this belief. This is my humble reading and used as a basis of stock investments in thailand. I certainly welcome any correction.

If you are in Pattaya you can get another at Pattaya City Hall on Pattaya Nua ,opposite Tesco/Lotus .Costs 30 baht and takes about 10 minutes .Bring your passport plus Condo ownership papers .I just got one last week there .

Yes, that is about right. Sometimes they may ask you to get a report from a local police station of your reported loss. This is a simple procedure for the police to note down on their diary of the reported loss.

Not that accurate and not up to date. The price is subject to survey and revisited after a few years. No depreciation or adjustment is made until the next survey. Normally, the assessed value is not used for actual sales. The property tax is based on the actual declared selling price or the official price, whichever is higher.

Well said. Insurance endowment tends to be far less on returns unless due to a claim on bad happenings. However, I had an exceptional experience when I went in for endowment 15 years ago when interest rate was at 10% range which was the basis of pricing. However, five years later, interest rate came down dramatically to 5% range, that endowment policy turned out to be better rewarded.

Sorry for the previous post, I pressed the wrong button.

In agreement with all the previous posts. To make it simple, if your sis in law's saving is surplus to requirements, then I would recommend LTF mutual fund with dollar averaging cost arrangement. Unfortunately, I can't remember which mutual fund company has this sort of a plan. From my memory, it could be AJF or Kbank asset managemen company. The plan is such that on a certain day of a month your sis's bank account would be taken out at a fixed sum and invested in one fund portfolio. By a few years, the saving could amount to a big sum with historical return compounded at a reasonable level, more than 10% is not unknown.

Why is it good? Because studies have shown that in the long run, returns on equity is far better than fixed income instrument. By having dollar averaging, you even out the speculative movement and become more stable in return. In the long run, stock index goes up.

Dear all,

Hoping for some good advice, I have this question to ask:

My sister in law is a typical Thai employee, working hard for a few baths. In one way or the other, she manages to save a few thousand bath per month as well, and is even looking into something that will help her into saving something for her old age.

Question to you: is there any stable long term saving plan that allows to save a few thousand bather per month and provides good interest?

Or would you know of any alternative that may work out for this purpose? And please, don't make it to complicated: the woman has never been out of Thailand, so sending money somewhere else would not feel ok with her.

Thank you!

Ketsara

If I understand your question correctly, you are a recipient of income for services rendered to overseas clients, receiving of that income is not subject to Thai withholding tax at 15%. It is applicable the other way round when you have to pay fees from Thailand to an overseas recipient, then that Thai withholding tax could apply.

chiang mai,

You are right in a way that in having it treated and more awareness and daily doses would lower the chance from those undetected. But according to medical world, once you have clogged arteries, there is likely to be a recurrence though not necessarily at the same spot. So deterrence is necessary for our type of people.

chiang mai,

Thank you for the info. I had mine done about seven years ago at the same hospital, the total bill amounted to Baht 400,000. A year ago, it cost my relative about the same sum. (We were also released the next day after the op). In one article on medical hubs in this part of the world, Thailand was quoted as half a million baht equivalent, almost the same price as Singapore. Yours must be most competitive and your Dr. Aram must be most generous. Or, is this the new trend of pricing? It is real good to know.

Prior to the op, I never exercised except for golf. The blockage was caused by that omission. Since the op, I promised myself to exercise everyday for an hour on the treading mill or bicycle to prevent restenosis. With a quarterly visit for a check up, so far it has been most satisfying with hardly any illnesses. There has never been time lost on health issue. Just to remind you that after the op, the battle is not over, it is a life long watch since we are now above normal risk. I wish you luck.

chiang mai,

was it done with a stent? i thought a stent, drugged or non-drugged could have caused 100,000 and doctor's fee, another 90,000 baht. there must be something explainable.

The Topic pretty much explains itself.

You had 5 million baht to invest in Thailand and only Thailand, what would you do?

Timing is important. Timing to buy and timing to sell. So you need to answer one important question: when do you think you would need this money to upkeep your life style or it is a surplus cash.

If it is a surplus cash, then put all in blue chip stocks. But don't buy them immediately. Wait for crisis, when every body is panicky and irrational. Diversify a bit. PTT, BBL, Banpu and MCOT are now in my mind.

bit silly isn't it, talking down to people who have ANY point of view. Start your own website? What an idiotic comment

Fully in agreement with you. Don't know about your body of message which could be offensive but to respond by a moderator to you to start your own website is extremely childish and uncalled for. Just reply that your message as offensive would suffice. Power must have gone to the head of this moderator.

If the service is used outside Thailand, it is regarded as export service and subject to VAT at 0%.

But if the service is provided to a non-resident but that service is viewed as received in Thailand, then VAT at 7% is applicable. The provider of that service in Thailand is supposed to pay that VAT and claim as an input VAT a month thereafter.

The difference between these two types of services is best exemplified by a legal firm providing advisory services to a Dutch company on tax or legal matter, then that is an export services. But if the legal firm providing services of incorporating a company in Thailand, then that is viewed as a domestic service even though the hirer is outside Thailand.

It does not matter which country the service receiver is.

Having just spoken with my accountant I'm a little clearer on what's going on. It would appear that when we set-up the Thai company there was some confusion as to who, and how much, salary was getting paid and the office rent/bills etc. We thought that we were clear on all of these, but obviously not.

Although the Thai company actually consumed all the income (and had no profit) the accounts showed differently. For accounting purposes we were showing a projected profit of over 1 million baht for the year which, I'm told, there is a 16% tax on (the Thai company has only been running for part of the year). There is also the 7% VAT; which I'm still unsure if that's included in the quoted 16% tax or not.

A royal mess if ever I saw one. We'll endeavor to get this sorted-out... many thanks for all the feedback.

Humble Pie,

One does not pay tax on a projected profit except for a mid-year tax return when a projected result has to be made, half of which shall be subject to interim tax at 30%. That interim tax can be used to offset against tax on the actual profit at the end of the year. But if you think there is no projected profit at the end of the year, then your interim tax could be overpaid. VAT is a tax that is paid on revenue and accountable to the authority monthly. In general, it has no bearing on you.

I think you are still in a royal mess!