GuestHouse

The first thing I'd do is turn up at he garage unannounced with a friend and check that the bike is actually at the garage and not rented out/lent out or sold on.

I had a very similar experience with a guy who I had paid to install some genuine parts that I had shipped in from overseas. He said he'd do the work over the weekend, when I called on the Monday evening he claimed he couldn't start as he was awaiting a gasket (a reasonable excuse), same thing the next night. The next evening I turned up with the necessary gasket.

The next evening I turned up he claimed he had been busey. I simply asked for the return of the parts.

He claimed a very senior police officer had taken them for his own car, but he, the garage owner was going to replace them.

I left and returned an hour later with a member of the Tourist Police.

He sent his son off on a motor bike, he returned twenty minutes later with all my genuine parts.

My guess is they were being sold on.

Count your blessings you've learned an extremely valuable lesson and an unbelievably low price.

I've known expats with years of experience in Thailand suddenly learn this lesson on huge amounts of money.

Well done.

Now move on.

My wife and I spent a very enjoyable afternoon at the Thai Embassy here in Rome, they were throwing a party in celebration of HRH The King.

Almost everyone in yellow, lots of great Thai food and a wonderful atmosphere.

Did anyone else attend an overseas celebration.

The advice you received from GuestHouse is patently wrong.

See here, from the Government website.

Uk Tax Rules

So long as your friend complies with the "Non Resident" rules then he can be paid interest

tax free simply by filing an R105 form with each of his Bank(s) etc

I think you need to read the government link you posted, right at the top of the page you link to is the statement.

If you go to live or work abroad and become non-resident in the UK, you might still have to pay UK tax – but only on your income from the UK.

I'm non tax resident in the UK, I work and earn overseas and I have savings that gain interest in the UK. I employ an accountant in the UK to, among other things, minimize my tax liabilities.

The common misconception is that because you can apply for the bank not to deduct interest on your account you are therefore exempt from tax on that interest.

This is not entirely correct.

Interest on your accounts in the UK is "Income in the UK". The tax rules add all incomes, interest, pensions, dividends, rents and then tax you on the total of your incomes. If you have income in the UK that income is subject to taxation.

The only income that would not be taxed (that I am aware of) is tax free ISAs and income below the individual personal tax allowance (which you maintain despite being overseas).

The reason the taxman allows the bank to not deduct tax on your interest (deduct at source) is to prevent claims that deductions by the taxman have caused loss of compound interest in the case where the total income within the UK is below the personal tax allowance.

These things are complicated and I again suggest that the OP's friend consults an accountant on a one off fee basis for advice.

I know one guy who recently had to resign his job in London with a company you all know to be re-employed locally in the LOC in Singapore.

I left Thailand when my employers offered me a local deal. They gave me the hardship story about not being able afford the expat deal in Thailand, so I asked to be assigned to somewhere where they could afford the expat deal. Others did not, and took the local deal, no pension and no payrises since the took the deal (Three years ago).

I work for a living, not to be constantly under threat of unemployment just because I like the location.

For me, one of the worst aspects of working in Thailand is the willingness of some other guy to undercut you in his desperation to stay there.

Earn money, save and then live where you want on your own terms.

The reason relates to the failure (for what ever reason) of Thailand to negotiate visa privalages with other nations.

Did your mamma never tell you not to mix the cough mixture with the cooking brandy?!

He is correct in some respects to the Taxation of interest in the UK.

I would advise that your friends gets advice from an accountant (an account he pays for advice, not a financial planner who will be looking to sell your friend products).

Regardless of where the owner is, income on savings that are resident in the UK will be taxed under the same tax rules as a person working and earning an income in the UK.

So the interest on your friend's account will be seen as an income in the UK and taxed accordingly.

He is entitled to a tax code that will allow him to receive the first £4K or so tax free, there after he will pay taxes on a sliding scale.

There are some ways to avoid some of this tax. If he has only just sold up in the UK he can claim to be still tax resident in the UK, this allows him to place upto £7000 in a tax free ISA. (not much but a start). If he is married that could be £14K.

He could also pay cash he makes in interest into into a pension and thereby claim the tax back (paid into the pension and securing an income).

As he is not working overseas, there are no real advantages of him declaring himself overseas for tax purposes, he might therefore claim on paper to be tax resident in the UK and continue to pay money into ISAs and Pensions.

If he has a considerable amount of cash he might want to consider giving gifts to his children, help them out, avoid taxes now and reduce death duties when he dies.

In his position I would be extremely reluctent to take money offshore, certainly not to Thailand.

Taxes are the downside of the security he haves leaving his money in the UK.

Oh and tell him to make a will.

You have the question wrong.

You need to first define what you want from your life and then work out how much that would cost.

$300K could be cut in two on the purchase of a 'mediocre' appartment in Thailand.

If that leaves you $150 to get an income from, then (to my mind) you are underfunded.

Of course you might choose to rent or live somewhere cheap.

I take the view I'd like to have an income of 70% of my current salary in order to retire with comfort in Thailand (I choose this figure on the basis that I do not discount things in Thailand going t1ts up and that meaning I have to go live elsewhere).

So, assume 5% income on investment the calculation of necessary capital is (current income*0.7*19).

This calculation assumes there is no need for capital expendature (House/Car etc).

The BBC is asking for comments

http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jsp...=20060609120002

Make your plans based on not finding work then set about trying to find work.

That way if a job turns up you gain while if a job doesn't turn up you don't loose.

Try the road test I posted above, it helps you examine your plan:

How much you need to invest?

If you put that money into some other investment how much would you make there?

Consider what is your expected return and what your reasonable return might be?

The simple calculation of how much you need to make against how many customers that would be and at what price will help you put a scale on things.

Go to Thailand, visit such a fishing park and count the customers.

Consider how you would get customers, what is going to bring them to your door.

14million Fisherman in the UK are… well to be blunt, in the UK, not in Thailand.

I’m not saying it can’t be done, but I do think that fishing parks are a business that comes under the heading ‘Things that Thais can do, and do very cheaply”.

The oft quoted ‘Unique Selling Point” would, I believe, be a critical factor in getting a Farang run Fishing Park off the ground… or water ;-)

I hope this doesn’t sound too critical, I’m just putting up things to think about.

Try the test above.

Start with what matters first.

Pay.

Visas and Work Permits

Health Insurance

Leave

Extras:

Transport

Car with first class insurance

Ask what the company travel policy is regarding flights and what class tickets you get.

Tools for the Job - Don't go specifying stuff until you know what systems are being used in the company.

Computer

Phone

Phone bills paid

Perks

Travel to conventions etc

Professional Membership Fees

I can't advise on rates because I don't know what you are worth in the market you are moving into. If you are offering genuine professional services and the company are genuinely looking for a professional with your experience then ask for the rate you would get back home. (Perhaps with an uplift).

If the company are not looking for genuine professional services (or worse still don't understand the need for professional services) be prepared to be undercut by every Tom, Dick and Harry that gets wind of that there is a job for the taking.

I personally work on the basis that I expect the rate and conditions that I would get elsewhere. I never take a cut in order to go to a particular place, but I will ask for more money if the location is what I consider a ‘hardship’ posting.

You are entering mid career, you’ve worked and I presume paid for your qualifications, now make getting the return a priority. If you can get that return in Thailand, then good for you but don't make the location the priority.

While you are waiting for answers to your question you might want to take this online No Going Back Road Test, it takes you through basic questions regarding setting up a business overseas and gives you a chance to work out the main issues you might need to address.

My view on Fishing is, it's not that popular an activitity in Thailand and where it is competition is fierce.

Some of the regular posters on all things setting up companies are notable by there absence in this post.

One piece of advice.

If you do find such work, and many do, keep quiet about it.

Going back to what Indo says

3) In order to get caght out in a Scenario 1 situation, someone has to make a fairly persistent and specific complaint against you. So - just don't do anything that would cause someone to make a complaint against you.

The most likely source of 'Persistent and Specific Complaints' is A.N.Other expat with too much time on their hands and a bitter resentment of someone getting something they themselves have not the skills or imagination to go after.

Have your wife tell her that you are interested in a menage-a-trois, a little three-way action.

Now there's a thought.

-------------------

Getting rid of Khun Latchia is, as others have noted, easy enough. The point I'm making is that where ever we go there seem to be these women in the Thai community, and as I said, they latch on to others too.

It seems to me they are totally unable to exist without latching onto another Thai while at the same time extremely adept at using every trick in the Thai culture book to get what they want.

Behave yourself!

Once again my wife and I find ourselves subjected to what I can only describe as a ‘Khun Latch’.

To explain, in the last four countries we have been assigned to we have also had the company of Thai colleges, not always the same team, but nevertheless Thais who I have previosuly worked with or at least worked on the same projects with before.

This is something of a boon for my wife on account of there being a ready made Thai community to join, not just my Thai colleges but their families too.

On each occasion this, shall we say ‘seed’ community has grown as they and my wife meet other Thais, again all to the good.

That is until ‘Khun Latch’ turns up …….. and refuses to leave.

'Khun Latch' is always in her early 30s and single. (read on before you get any ideas).

The last ‘Khun Latch’ (in the UK) would turn up on the doorstep at any time of the day or night with some lame excuse that she just happened to be passing, or needed a hand with something, or had come to collect the book she had conveniently left the last time she visited’.

This got to the point where I don’t think there was a single day ‘Khun Latch’ didn’t happen by, either calling around the house or wandering into the coffee shop she knew we’d be in. Her visits to our house could last from almost dawn to dusk and beyond.

For my wife, who is seldom backward at coming forward (well certainly not when I cross the line), this seemed impossible, she’d not answer the door, she’d not answer the phone, she’d not let her plans be known but she would not, indeed could not tell ‘Khun Latch’ face to face that she was not welcome 24/7.

When I discussed this with one of my Thai colleges in the desperate hope of getting some advice, he confessed that the very same ‘Khun Latch’ was, when not camping out at my home, coming up with the exact same excuses to be around his house – and he admitted that he and his wife (both Thai) were also unable to face up to telling ‘Khun Latch’ to s0d off.

Now I know, you can say ‘Khun Latch’ was lonely and that I should be more charitable, but there has to be a line somewhere; and anyhow all efforts to sort her loneliness out (ie get one of my mates to help her balance her hormones), failed… miserably.. most could not stand more than an evening of her company.

We never got rid of ‘Kun Latch’ until we moved countries…. How drastic is that!

As I say that was who I like to call the UK ‘Khun Latch’, there had been one in Vietnam and another in Manila, though I hasten to add, not nearly as imposing.

However, I’ve learned to spot the early signs now, so when ‘Khun Latchia’ (The one waiting for us in Italy) turned up I/we immediately spotted her for what she is and knew exactly what to expect, I/we could see precisely where it was going:

The manipulation, the imaginative use of ‘Greng Jai’, the utter helplessness of my wife to tell ‘Khun Latchia’ that enough is enough.

I’ve decided I must act and act soon. I’m planning imaginative deterrents to keep ‘Khun Latchia’ from our door. (All suggestions welcome).

Meanwhile, I asked my wife the other morning, (using extreme caution unless the question gave rise to a visitation), ‘Have you heard from our UK Khun Latch recently?’

‘No’ she said, ‘Not one peep since the day we left the UK’.

Very much for the better is my view, but nevertheless a very curious side to some Thais.

There are Craft Training colleges throughout Thailand, one is located on the left hand side of the Bang Na Trad highway as you pass Jontiem on the way to Sathahip.

I've worked on a number of projects (Refineries and Chemical Plants) where Thai plumbers where installing industrial water systems, and HVAC, their work was excellent.

A lot get said on this forum running down Thai workmanship. Perhaps Somchai the farmer turning his hand to building/electrics/plumbing might make a mess of it, but the Thais I have worked with on large construction projects have been excellent.

An example, Thai coded welders are renowned for the quality of their work. Something a lot of westerners don't like to accept, but the QA records demonstrate that they do do fantastic work.

Not only that, Thai compliance to safety instructions on the projects I have worked on have exceeded anything I've seen in Europe.

The problem with finding work with international companies which have offices in Thailand (I work for one) is that they will normally reserve overseas assignments for long term staff, usually mid career and generally they choose the staff to assign to a country on the basis of matching the staff member to the job needs.

Thailand has an added issue in that assignments in Thailand are usually reserved, often for people who have done less desirable assignments elsewhere, that is true of my employer and true too of most of the international company clients we have in Thailand.

I'm afraid that of all the skills that companies undervalue, language skills are probably top of the list.

I can't see why you could not do this, but I can't see why you would,

1. When you renew, you'll have to pay a further tax on the full lease value.

2. A renewel date on the lease is very likely a chance to deny the renewel or change the terms, if not then it's hardly a renewel.

1. Ask your lawyer if there is anything within the contract to build that allows you to withold payments or place the project on hold until clarrification on this matter can be made.

2. Ask your lawyer to explain what happens to the Company Assets when you close this company you are founding (Do the 51% Thai Share Holders have the right to take 51% of the Company Assets?). Get your lawyer to explain to you exactly how share holders can be prevented from taking their share of the assets if at some time in the future the assets are disposed of.

3. This idea of putting the assets in the name of the lawyer sounds extremely risky to me. I would not do so under any circumstances. Nor, while we are on the subject, would I give my Thai Lawyer Power of Attourney - Just incase that idea comes up in discussions.

Thai Visa often comes up with stunning posts in which Thai Visa members respond giving advice, help and support to people in trouble, or people simply looking for help and advice.

This post is not one of them.

now they say that i owe 325 pound from the1998-1999year

i just dont know if this is correct or not, but its like knocking your head against a brick wall trying to get a straight answer from them

My experience has been that the DWP have been very helpful and provided comprehensive information. One thing they catogorically state is that unpaid NI is not a debt, so the good news is you don't owe anything.

While I accept it probably is financially sound to pay as late as possible, there are merits in paying when you can, we non of us know what the future brings. So I pay as I go on the basis that I might need to break payment later for reasons beyond my control.

I also take the view that the NI payments have a great rate of return, so I pay... quite happily.