ukrules

Indeed, I'm using a windows program named MicroSIP along with an account at something called VOIPStudio. There are issues getting a phone number but they can be resolved if you speak to their support. At first they demanded something quite illegal for them to request from me - because I'm on an IP in Asia they would not accept a UK credit card, I complained about this and they requested a passport scan AND a scan of both sides of my credit card - now I know the rules about payment systems and they or their staff are NEVER allowed to ever see the 3 digit security code under PCI rules for online transactions - which they specifically said they 'need' to see. I opened up 2 accounts with different companies. I told them to pound sand on the credit card request and pointed out that it's illegal for them to request such information - but voipstudio do offer a bank deposit method of payment - which I then used. And after that it works. No proof of address required, funds came from a UK bank account and they knew this so they approved it after I sent them a ticket. Note - it is important to get a phone number or calls will be rejected from many networks if there is no number attached - not all - but many. My monthly plan is about 20 pounds a month and offers thousands of minutes to both landlines and mobiles in the UK through voipstudio - just fund it with a bank transfer not a credit card. So based on my experience I would suggest MicroSIP as the program and VOIPStudio but only with direct bank deposit - I sent them enough funds to cover many months of usage. I do believe that VOIPStudio offer their own 'softphone' but I use SIPGate specifically as it offers call recording in the mp3 format which is what I required from the outset. If you don't want call recording in mp3 then there are many more options.

Of course not, it's just more profits for the retailers. Based on the article 10% discounts to the most expensive wine in the world but they're getting away with 50% excise. I expected nothing less than this, they already know the suckers will pay for it. The only thing that will change it would be a new chain of wine shops that charges a reasonable mark up that would force the prices down everywhere else. Maybe that happens in the end

I would think the entire industry would fall to ruin before anything is done to meddle with it based on what happened before. Now the concept of 'personal liability' for actions taken by a PM has been introduced what incentive is there to do anything which might come back to haunt a PM later, regardless of the consequences?

A new Prime Minister was appointed just before that article was written. Things can change quickly with someone new in the hot seat.

Yes, I know both Bangkok Bang and Kasikorn offer these foreign currency accounts (they call it FCD account) - but there are likely other banks in addition to them.

A simple majority vote is required in the cabinet to approve a royal decree for official approval by the Monarch This is a secret process which will never be reported on or discussed because the existence of a potential royal decree approved by cabinet but somehow not making it into the gazette would signify something

That is something I was thinking of - could this be a temporary measure of something a little more permanent.

I wonder how this would work with the announced Royal Decree encouraging people to remit funds in the year they're earned AND the year after they're earned. Full global taxation if you're a resident for 180 days but not for this year and next year and that would presumably roll on continuously. Does this mean if I make about $150k a year from various income and investments I would need to remit all of that and then how long must it remain inside Thailand before it can be sent back out again to be reinvested? Lots of questions. Would global earnings take into account this new announcement or would the new announcement replace it or are they two entirely different things. I believe an act of parliament would need to be amended to alter the actual tax law itself, not sure if that can be done by a royal decree, does anyone know if it can?

They always do, remember - they know best 🤣

True, there's also no rules (laws) around Controlled Foreign Companies by Thai tax residents and while that's the case incorporating abroad can very easily hide anything and everything under some corporate entity. They do address this in the more 'advanced' tax systems in western nations but Thailand is so far behind in this respect it may take decades to catch up - they don't even have a proper capital gains tax - it's all personal income tax with just one list of bands. It's almost like they made it simple because most of their accountants are idiots.

You are missing my point entirely - it was never a loophole - that's the point. It was intentional when it was done back in the 1980s, recently they got greedy and now they're paying the price for this greed. It's called Karma.

That's nonsense, it was there quite deliberately since the 80s - they got greedy and thought the people were stupid. Well the people aren't stupid and the remittances stopped flowing, what did they think would happen?

Indeed, this is the emergency procedure and bypasses full parliamentary scrutiny and a vote. So long as the 'Cabinet' agree in their little vote then it can be forwarded to the Kings departments for review, approval and eventual publication in the gazette. If it's not approved then you will never hear anything spoken about this again because that would potentially be illegal. In fact it will never be reported that it's been sent for approval unless it's already been given the nod in advance. So one day out of nowhere it will either be published in the gazette or announced that it's being published - or nothing.

They can forget about getting additional remittances forever if they do that, people would simply leave unless they did the absolute unthinkable and went 'full USA' but I doubt that will ever happen.

Vance is the next one

That's how everything works isn't it? Look at this taxation malarkey - by increasing the tax net they are going to end up collecting far less. Should Srettha Thavisin be made to pay for that out of his pocket? He was PM when the change was made - so it's his fault right? How many billions of Baht did he cost the economy already - it's ongoing too The answer is no of course, a Prime Minister should not have to pay personally for their dumb policies - they should really do a better job.

Right now nothing has changed and a full tax year has passed. Maybe they make this change, maybe they don't but they sure as <deleted> have not done it yet.

Yeah, until it's published in the Gazette it's nothing more than hot air / proposed changes which often never come to fruition. They can draft as many of these as they want but unless the Cabinet vote on it nothing will happen, then it just needs the 'Royal Decree' part completing.

That's better - the original link was broken - and still is - maybe someone can fix it.

It worked for me but that was a few years ago. In fact this lease was drawn up on the spot and my Mrs leased the rented house that she rents to me - they may have attached a copy of her id - she certainly didn't own it and nothing more was required. I believe that for Thailand they know there is no easy proof of address in English for many people so they do things a little differently - like returning your passport to you while it's being processed - that's not normal but they do it in Thailand. I went to a law company who did this, they knew what they were doing - I just signed the documents but yeah a lease in my name showing the address was sufficient. Even though it's just a worthless piece of paper when it comes down to it.

Oh yeah, there's no escaping that if it's earned in the UK then you're taxed there regardless of what it is or how it's earned.

Do you spend a lot of time over in the UK or something? Personally I haven't stepped foot in the place in over a decade and have zero income or liabilities over there. Under the 'Statutory Residence Test' they now use at HMRC they booted me off the tax register many, many years ago. No declarations required these days.

I don't pay any tax in Cambodia.

Me too, a lot of people have filed tax returns already, in fact anyone who hasn't is now a 'late filer' this year for last years taxes if they were resident and remitted more than the paltry allowances. I left Thailand last year for just over 6 months as I sold something which I one day planned to remit as and when required over the next 10 to 20 years, my plan was always to use the 'next year' remittance method, then they cancelled that but the sale of my assets didn't happen until late last year. I was quite disappointed but as this was quite a bit of money, potentially enough to last for life - I left just to make sure I never have to pay anything on that.

Right, if you bought money in last year and were a resident then you owe tax on it - don't make the mistake that you don't because you do. Until they get around to changing it then the announcement back in 2023 stands.