TallGuyJohninBKK

Jim, so if they do this, then it means they're abandoning the whole notion they announced and publicized in past months of only planning to tax foreign income, subject to DTAs and such, when it's imported into Thailand? If so, that's a major upsidedown change. And it would seem to raise other questions like -- can Thailand impose a Thailand tax on tax-exempt or tax deferred earnings received in foreign countries but not necessarily imported to Thailand, such as with USA-based IRA and Roth IRA accounts (where you'd have no U.S.-based tax offset, except for RMD distributions). And then that would seem to leave in limbo the question of accrued savings held overseas... The prior plan had a tax exemption for prior savings that would be imported here. But under this plan, would they consider bringing past savings into Thailand "new" income at the point the funds are brought in?

Gotcha.... Examples: If you live in Portugal for 183 or more days in a calendar year, you'll be considered a resident and must pay income tax on your worldwide income. If you live in Portugal for fewer than 183 days, you'll only need to pay on income earned within Portugal. https://www.expatica.com/pt/finance/taxes/guide-to-taxes-in-portugal-105742/ A resident individual is subject to Australian income tax on a worldwide basis, https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/australia/individual/taxes-on-personal-income

"The United States and the East African nation of Eritrea are the only two countries that tax the worldwide income of all citizens and permanent residents regardless of where they live or where they earn money." https://brighttax.com/blog/citizenship-based-taxation/ https://www.taxesforexpats.com/expat-tax-advice/Citizenship-Based-Taxation-International-Comparison.html

fyi, the BKK Post -- which cannot be linked to or posted here under forum rules -- has an article on this topic today.. It basically clarifies a couple things: 1. This is just a proposal under discussion for now, and no timeframe for action. 2. The 1 billion baht platform reference refers to their intention to tax online vendors who have that level of income... 3. The Thai government tax person is claiming going to the worldwide income approach will bring Thailand into compliance with international norms -- which seems to be exactly the opposite to what in fact is reality, where most countries don't do that.....

It's called "Dynamic Currency Conversion," which is the financial term when a merchant or ATM shows you the purchase/transaction amount in your card's home country currency amount (and charges you up to 5% extra for that "convenience,") vs. the normal practice of simply showing the transaction in the local currency, being Thai baht. When using Krungsri (yellow bank) ATMs with a foreign bank card, you'll often get a pop-up screen once you've entered in the withdrawal amount that asks you to either accept or reject the offered DCC rate. (A lot of foreigners here probably don't bother to pay attention to what exactly they're being asked and what it means, which means an extra 5% for the ATM owner, which makes the bank happy) In short, you absolutely want to REJECT that offered DCC rate (tap NO) every time. Once you tap NO, your withdrawal will proceed, you won't be charged the extra 5% surcharge, and your receipt will show the W/D amount in THB. (Tapping NO will not cancel your transaction...fyi). PS -- But yes, either way, you'll still get charged the standard Thailand 220 baht processing fee for ATM withdrawals made with a non-Thai bank card -- unless your foreign card happens to be one of the relatively few that reimburse all international ATM surcharges.

Remember this -- China, Dec. 25, 2022: COVID-19 ravages China with estimated 250 million cases in 20 days; world weekly up 9% Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Mainland China is experiencing its first major COVID-19 surge since the pandemic originated there three years ago with an estimated 250 million people infected with the virus in the first 20 days of the month as the "zero tolerance" has ended. ... China no longer is reporting asymtomatic cases and has closed a network of PCR testing sites. People who are using rapid antigen tests to detect infections are under no obligation to report positive results. And only deaths caused by pneumonia and respiratory failure after contracting the virus are classified as COVID deaths, Wang Guiqiang, a top infectious disease doctor, told a news conference Tuesday. (more) https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2022/12/25/world-COVID-19-estgimates-250-million-cases-China/9401671979017/

It may have something to do with the fact that there's little evidence that COVID vaccinations, to any significant extent, cause the kind of mental impairment / brain fog that many studies have documented IS among the characteristic symptoms of so-called Long (post infection) COVID. In fact, the bulk of research shows just the opposite, that COVID vaccination overall reduces the risk of symptoms from Long COVID. Vaccination Dramatically Lowers Long COVID Risk Several new studies reveal that getting multiple COVID vaccine doses provides strong protection against lingering symptoms January 3, 2024 "At least 200 million people worldwide have struggled with long COVID: a slew of symptoms that can persist for months or even years after an infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. But research suggests that that number would likely be much higher if not for vaccines. A growing consensus is emerging that receiving multiple doses of the COVID vaccine before an initial infection can dramatically reduce the risk of long-term symptoms. Although the studies disagree on the exact amount of protection, they show a clear trend: the more shots in your arm before your first bout with COVID, the less likely you are to get long COVID. One meta-analysis of 24 studies published in October, for example, found that people who’d had three doses of the COVID vaccine were 68.7 percent less likely to develop long COVID compared with those who were unvaccinated. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vaccination-dramatically-lowers-long-covid-risk/ AND ‘Brain fog’ of long Covid comparable to ageing 10 years, study finds Symptoms of infection can last two years, but researchers find no lasting cognitive impairment after individuals fully recover Fri 21 Jul 2023 The so-called “brain fog” symptom associated with long Covid is comparable to ageing 10 years, researchers have suggested. In a study by King’s College London, researchers investigated the impact of Covid-19 on memory and found cognitive impairment highest in individuals who had tested positive and had more than three months of symptoms. The study, published on Friday in a clinical journal published by The Lancet, also found the symptoms in affected individuals stretched to almost two years since initial infection. (more) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/21/long-covid-brain-fog-ageing-10-years-study

Analysis: Biden is alienating progressives yet again — but he may have no choice (CNN) -- Joe Biden is pushing progressives who are already sour on his presidency to the limit with a tough new executive action barring most asylum applications from migrants crossing the US-Mexico border illegally. But the president’s weakness on one of Donald Trump’s biggest campaign issues means it’s a risk that he has no option but to take. People familiar with Biden’s strategy pointed out privately that he was in the position of taking bold action on immigration after Republicans in Congress refused to act after killing a bipartisan immigration bill to please their presumptive nominee. If Biden wins November’s election, it will probably be because he was able to cement the most disaffected liberal Democrats behind him, while appealing to moderates and dissenting Republicans who reject Trump’s extremism. Many of the latter group feel that the border crisis is a matter of urgent national security, and Biden needs to show he takes the presidential duty of securing the homeland seriously. (more) https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/04/politics/biden-progressives-immigration/index.html

Biden rolls out asylum restrictions, months in the making, to help ‘gain control’ of the border WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled plans to enact immediate significant restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border as the White House tries to neutralize immigration as a political liability ahead of the November elections. The long-anticipated presidential proclamation would bar migrants from being granted asylum when U.S. officials deem that the southern border is overwhelmed. The Democratic president had contemplated unilateral action for months after the collapse of a bipartisan border security deal in Congress that most Republican lawmakers rejected at the behest of former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. Biden said he preferred more lasting action via legislation but “Republicans have left me no choice.” Instead, he said he was acting on his own to “gain control of the border” while also insisting that “I believe immigration has always been the lifeblood of America.” (more) https://apnews.com/article/biden-asylum-migration-immigration-mexico-border-dec5f83b468b5795479bf1f5e49799d5

Per the Associated Press: "A GOP-led subcommittee has spent over a year probing the nation’s response to the pandemic and whether U.S.-funded research in China may have played any role in how it started — yet found no evidence linking Fauci to wrongdoing." ... Republicans repeated unproven accusations against the longtime National Institutes of Health scientist..." https://apnews.com/article/fauci-covid-pandemic-origin-congress-a66625482f25824476ee315484790230

This Dr. McCormick, before he became a member of Congress: Physician running for congress in GA comes under fire for spreading misinformation Updated: 6:42 PM EDT September 29, 2021 ATLANTA — Critics say a physician running for congress in Georgia has spread misinformation on masks and for some COVID vaccines. Dr. Rich McCormick is a physician who came close to winning the 7th district congressional race last year, and he's running for it again next year. ... Recently, McCormick has become somewhat regular on NewsMax, a cable channel that surged in popularity among conservatives in 2020. "I think the delta variant is being blown out of proportion. We're not seeing the mortality rate spike. We're not seeing people hospitalized en masse. We're not seeing them go to the ICU," McCormick told NewsMax on July 8, just weeks before hospitalizations and mortality started to surge. During the same NewsMax interview, he also falsely claimed that children are not at risk. (more) https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/critics-physician-running-for-congress-in-georgia-sidesteps-science/85-d6bf03d9-9efe-4a13-be81-074023b698f8

Key takeaways: Fauci defends against GOP claims on COVID origins, response Fauci called some assertions "seriously distorted" in public testimony. ... "Fauci rejected suggestions he used his private email in his official capacity, and both denounced and distanced himself from the adviser's actions. "Let me state for the record that to the best of my knowledge I have never conducted official business via my personal email," Fauci said. ... Fauci told lawmakers he "knew nothing" of Morens' actions with Daszak or EcoHealth, denounced Morens' behavior as inappropriate and asserted Morens was not "an adviser to me on institute policy or other substantive issues." https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republicans-poised-grill-anthony-fauci-covid-19-response/story?id=110677611

COVID!!! I know this may come as a surprise to some here, but we had a bit of a COVID pandemic during the past years since 2020 that officially killed 7+ million people based on official death reports, but based on rates of higher than normal deaths, probably killed somewhere between 20 and 30 million directly and indirectly. Per the New York Times from March: The true toll "Covid’s confirmed death toll — more than seven million people worldwide — is horrific on its own, and the true toll is much worse. The Economist magazine keeps a running estimate of excess deaths, defined as the number of deaths above what was expected from pre-Covid trends. The global total is approaching 30 million. This number includes both confirmed Covid deaths and undiagnosed ones, which have been common in poorer countries. It includes deaths caused by pandemic disruptions, such as missed doctor appointments that might have prevented other diseases. The isolation of the pandemic also caused a surge of social ills in the U.S., including increases in deaths from alcohol, drugs, vehicle crashes and murders. Globally, Covid ranks among the worst killers since 1900. AIDS, for example, is estimated to have killed about 40 million people, but over a half century rather than only four years. The 1918 flu killed somewhere between 20 million and 50 million people." https://archive.ph/niVyc The above cited study in the OP takes a partial look at the phenomenon of excess deaths during the COVID era, tallying excess deaths in 47 western countries by year for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 -- the years of the COVID pandemic with the highest death tolls thus far. Excess mortality across countries in the Western World since the COVID-19 pandemic: ‘Our World in Data’ estimates of January 2020 to December 2022 "Excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic has been substantial. Insight into excess death rates in years following WHO’s pandemic declaration is crucial for government leaders and policymakers to evaluate their health crisis policies. This study explores excess mortality in the Western World from 2020 until 2022. ... Conclusions Excess mortality has remained high in the Western World for three consecutive years, despite the implementation of containment measures and COVID-19 vaccines. This raises serious concerns. Government leaders and policymakers need to thoroughly investigate underlying causes of persistent excess mortality." This issue has been examined previously by various reports and studies: Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 March 2024, The Lancet "An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)00476-8/fulltext# AND 14.9 million excess deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 The WHO, May 2022 "New estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that the full death toll associated directly or indirectly with the COVID-19 pandemic (described as “excess mortality”) between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021 was approximately 14.9 million (range 13.3 million to 16.6 million). “These sobering data not only point to the impact of the pandemic but also to the need for all countries to invest in more resilient health systems that can sustain essential health services during crises, including stronger health information systems,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “WHO is committed to working with all countries to strengthen their health information systems to generate better data for better decisions and better outcomes.” https://www.who.int/news/item/05-05-2022-14.9-million-excess-deaths-were-associated-with-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-2020-and-2021 Lastly, worth noting, the period of the OP cited study stops at the end of 2022, meaning nothing in their report deals with anything that's happened in the studied countries from 2023 and beyond. So it's not any kind of look at what's occurring in current times.

And remember this -- Bangkok, August 2021: https://www.scmp.com/video/asia/3143460/thailand-sees-overwhelmed-hospital-morgues-and-renewed-protests-amid-biggest

Speaking of "remember this" -- Bangkok, July 2021: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/cases-surge-thai-hospital-uses-containers-store-bodies-2021-07-31/ or https://archive.ph/QgVdW

So I can't tell whether you're happy or complaining that a pair of small town doctors in a heavily Republican / conservative area of California decided they were going to flout the then current advice from both the Calif. Dept. of Health Services and their own Kern County Health Department. Either way, they were wrong. From your news report in early 2020: "In our ongoing effort to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on our residents and healthcare system, we continue to adhere to the guidance issued by Governor Newsom regarding the stay at home order. Kern County Public Health Services recommends the following protective measures: Stay at home except for essential needs. Practice social distancing. Wash hands with soap and water often. Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your elbow. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Stay away from work, school or other people if you become sick. Wear face covering while in public if you are unable to maintain social distancing." All of the above was then good, legitimate public health guidance re COVID, and consistent with what many other public health agencies (including the state of Calif.) were advising at the time, notwithstanding what the two small town doctors thought.

Report on Fauci's testimony: "Most US intelligence agencies say the virus was not genetically engineered, but it is still not totally clear how the pandemic started. A US intelligence analysis released last year said either origin was possible, and the community remains split on the issue. ... “I cannot account nor can anyone account for other things that might be going on in China, which is the reason why I have always said and will say now, I keep an open mind as to what the origin is,” Fauci said Monday. https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/03/politics/fauci-testimony-house-hearing-covid-19/index.html

Fauci was testifying yesterday before a House subcommittee, not the Senate. Takeaways from Fauci’s testimony at contentious House hearing on Covid-19 pandemic ... "Some of the world’s leading scientists have investigated the origins of the virus, including a committee of experts from the World Health Organization. Most scientists believe that the virus spread from animals to humans in China. Some studies have also said that the theory that the virus escaped from a Chinese lab, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, cannot be ruled out. Most US intelligence agencies say the virus was not genetically engineered, but it is still not totally clear how the pandemic started." https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/03/politics/fauci-testimony-house-hearing-covid-19/index.html And sadly, the year-plus long spectacle by the Republican-led subcommittee brought no meaningful new insight into that question. New York Times, May 2024: "But in a report and in extensive questioning on Wednesday, the Republicans offered no new information suggesting that EcoHealth Alliance or Dr. Daszak were involved in the coronavirus outbreak. And they did not produce any evidence pointing directly to a coronavirus leak from a lab in China, with or without EcoHealth’s involvement, a hitch in their years-long effort to implicate Chinese and American scientists in the beginnings of the pandemic." https://archive.ph/Ho5gO#selection-7093.0-7097.432

From your source above: "Dr. Tabak,” asked Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, “did NIH fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology through [Manhattan-based nonprofit] EcoHealth [Alliance]?” “It depends on your definition of gain-of-function research,” Tabak answered. “If you’re speaking about the generic term, yes, we did.” [emphasis added] ... Tabak added that “this is research, the generic term [gain-of-function], is research that goes on in many, many labs around the country. It is not regulated. And the reason it’s not regulated is it poses no threat or harm to anybody.” [emphasis added] Fauci on Monday addressed the gain of function claim regarding the research in China separately in comments not inconsistent with Tabak's reference to gain of function as a "generic term" involving non-harmful / no threat research: As the AP reported: "The definition of “gain of function” covers both general research and especially risky experiments to “enhance” the ability of potentially pandemic pathogens to spread or cause severe disease in humans. Fauci stressed he [in rejecting Republicans' claims] was using the risky experiment definition, saying “it would be molecularly impossible” for the bat viruses studied with EcoHealth’s funds to be turned into the virus that caused the pandemic." https://apnews.com/article/fauci-covid-pandemic-origin-congress-a66625482f25824476ee315484790230

Rand Paul has his dubious opinion, and that's all it is... His call for a criminal prosecution of Fauci in the cited Fox report went nowhere, because there was no credible criminal case to be made. Per the Associated Press: "A GOP-led subcommittee has spent over a year probing the nation’s response to the pandemic and whether U.S.-funded research in China may have played any role in how it started — yet found no evidence linking Fauci to wrongdoing." ... Republicans repeated unproven accusations against the longtime National Institutes of Health scientist..." https://apnews.com/article/fauci-covid-pandemic-origin-congress-a66625482f25824476ee315484790230 Per the New York Times: "And for all the hundreds of thousands of pages of documents and more than 100 hours of closed-door testimony that the panel reviewed, lawmakers produced nothing on Monday linking Dr. Fauci to the beginnings of the Covid outbreak in China...." New York Times https://archive.ph/Q2NKi Per subcommittee ranking member Raul Ruiz: Ruiz added that the evidence found that "Dr. Fauci did not fund research through the EcoHealth Alliance Grant that caused the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Fauci did not lie about gain of function research in Wuhan China, Dr. Fauci did not orchestrate a campaign to suppress the lab-leak theory." https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/anthony-fauci-covid-origins-hearing-06-03-24/index.html

This Dr. McCormick, before he became a member of Congress: Physician running for congress in GA comes under fire for spreading misinformation Updated: 6:42 PM EDT September 29, 2021 ATLANTA — Critics say a physician running for congress in Georgia has spread misinformation on masks and for some COVID vaccines. Dr. Rich McCormick is a physician who came close to winning the 7th district congressional race last year, and he's running for it again next year. ... Recently, McCormick has become somewhat regular on NewsMax, a cable channel that surged in popularity among conservatives in 2020. "I think the delta variant is being blown out of proportion. We're not seeing the mortality rate spike. We're not seeing people hospitalized en masse. We're not seeing them go to the ICU," McCormick told NewsMax on July 8, just weeks before hospitalizations and mortality started to surge. During the same NewsMax interview, he also falsely claimed that children are not at risk. (more) https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/critics-physician-running-for-congress-in-georgia-sidesteps-science/85-d6bf03d9-9efe-4a13-be81-074023b698f8

Dr. Rich McCormick on COVID: March 10, 2020: "In historical context this virus is no different than the other coronaviruses we have had in the past decade." https://twitter.com/RichforGA/status/1237080333025267713 ------------------------- March 17, 2020: "My prediction is in about two months, it's going to be a bad memory." https://twitter.com/RichforGA/status/1239666281869127680

Georgia’s medical board mum as doctors spread COVID-19 misinformation With no consequences, some doctors promote vaccine hesitancy and encourage ditching masks Oct 29, 2021 ... "Documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show Georgia’s medical board received a complaint last year accusing a doctor running for Congress of publicly spreading false COVID information, but the board took no action. The board currently has two misinformation-related reports pending. One is a second complaint filed against the candidate, Dr. Rich McCormick, and the other involves Augusta pediatrician Dr. Alan Getts, involving the “COVID advice” letter to a family member." ... A Peachtree Corners resident who blogs on medical fraud filed the first complaint about McCormick in October 2020, saying the Republican candidate for the U.S. House’s 7th Congressional District had repeatedly promoted unproven drugs as COVID treatments and downplayed the severity of the virus. The statements were made in Twitter posts and during appearances on far-right media outlets known for promoting conspiracy theories about the pandemic and the 2020 election. https://archive.ph/DvL7Q#selection-1989.0-1993.258

Re current U.S. Rep. McCormick cited above, back when he was just a doctor and political candidate: Physician running for congress in GA comes under fire for spreading misinformation Updated: 6:42 PM EDT September 29, 2021 ATLANTA — Critics say a physician running for congress in Georgia has spread misinformation on masks and for some COVID vaccines. Dr. Rich McCormick is a physician who came close to winning the 7th district congressional race last year, and he's running for it again next year. ... Recently, McCormick has become somewhat regular on NewsMax, a cable channel that surged in popularity among conservatives in 2020. "I think the delta variant is being blown out of proportion. We're not seeing the mortality rate spike. We're not seeing people hospitalized en masse. We're not seeing them go to the ICU," McCormick told NewsMax on July 8, just weeks before hospitalizations and mortality started to surge. During the same NewsMax interview, he also falsely claimed that children are not at risk. (more) https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/critics-physician-running-for-congress-in-georgia-sidesteps-science/85-d6bf03d9-9efe-4a13-be81-074023b698f8

Fauci pushes back partisan attacks in fiery House hearing over COVID origins and controversies ... A GOP-led subcommittee has spent over a year probing the nation’s response to the pandemic and whether U.S.-funded research in China may have played any role in how it started — yet found no evidence linking Fauci to wrongdoing. [emphasis added] He’d already been grilled behind closed doors, for 14 hours over two days in January. But Monday, Fauci testified voluntarily in public and on camera at a hearing that quickly deteriorated into partisan attacks. Republicans repeated unproven accusations against the longtime National Institutes of Health scientist while Democrats apologized for Congress besmirching his name and bemoaned a missed opportunity to prepare for the next scary outbreak. (more) https://apnews.com/article/fauci-covid-pandemic-origin-congress-a66625482f25824476ee315484790230