GuestHouse

The office, on the 15th floor of Phahon Yothin Place building, Phahon Yothin road, was empty with only an ''E.com Internet Work Co Ltd'' sign in front of it.

Before we get all self ritous about this news, aren't these similar arangements employed by more than a just a few TV members to secure 'ownership' of the homes in which they have sunk their life's savings?

I spent hours trying to hack his personal details so I shop the scrounging scum

which is a socialist country the last time I checked

Britain (a nation, not a country) is not and never has been 'Socialist'.

It is a nation which provides welfare and pays for that welfare by taxing its citizens.

Welfare payments are paid out where an applicant meets the rules governing the payment of welfare.

One of the rules is that if a welfare claimant goes overseas they notify the welfare office that they are no longer in the country so that the welfare office can pay the entitlement of welfare commensurate with the claimant’s personal circumstances (including the circumstance of being overseas).

I take a simplistic view, there are rules, follow them.

If an individual is ENTITLED UNDER THE WELFARE REGULATIONS to welfare payments then I am proud that Britain takes care of such people and provides them with welfare.

If an individual knowingly claims welfare to which due to their personal circumstances they are not entitled then I take the view they are scrounging scum - and I have no problem expressing that view.

Again, let’s keep it simple I pay my taxes, I could do a lot with the money, but I have no problem helping people who meet the requirements for obtaining welfare.

I only ask that they follow the rules.

I do not think that is much to ask when people are dipping their hand in my pay cheque.

And I'm pleased to say that at long last the government is beginning to listen to people like me - the people who pay in.

Confiscate the 1000's of properties owned by these Companies, that would hit tourism, investment, etc.

No but agreeing an arbitary annual tax might be a possiblility

I'm delighted to see that my view is not in the minority here.

How many 'WORKING' people in the UK can take off for overseas holidays that run on for months?

A lot of the usual, perhaps not entirely unjust, comments here.

But I wonder, how many people decrying Thai drivers are themselves partial to a few beers before driving, or can put their hand on their heart and say they haven't driven in Thailand while having more drinks than they would dare to have and drive back home?

I would look into the risks of closing your company before you make any decisions, see item #5 in this link Risks of Closing 51/49% Company

I think if I were you I would start by taking your company documents to a lawyer (Not the Lawyer who set the company up) and ask them to advise how you would go about closing your company and what the Liabilities are - Who gets what?

Do not make a move on this until you've settled that question.

Also, if it were me I'd be going to in BKK to be increase the chances of getting 'independent advice'.

The lawyers who do OWN 51% of your company and thus its assets (I do not like to bring in the risk of that under the Civil and Commercial code) but preference shares do not give a right to a preferential payment out of the capital in case of a winding up!

OUCH!

So let me get this right.

A foreigner buys land/property under a Thai company and adopts preferential shares as his means of controlling the company/property - but if the company is wound up then the Thai majority share holders collect the capital?

In the case you state this would be the lawyer, but might be the friends, partners, spouse and spouses family if they are the Thai share holders.

Surely nobody is that stupid?!

I don’t see anything wrong with the post.

You are entirely correct.

Burning plastic is a pet peeve of mine, the chemicals released (including, among others, phosgene) are extremely toxic. I make a point of minimizing my use of plastic bags by refusing them when I don’t really need a bag and by using shopping ‘cool bags’ for our main shop.

I also make a point of stating (in Thai) I don’t want a plastic bag because I’m looking after the environment.

Like you say, batteries are significant source of chemical contamination and again we minimize our use of batteries – for example we went back to a wired computer mouse when we realized how the wireless mouse was ‘eating batteries’, we also use rechargeable batteries and not the disposable types.

Another pet peeve is Thais burning stuff that doesn’t need burning. We recently cleared 4 Rai of land, removing overgrown weeds and old trees. I had to stop my Thai workers from burning all the vegetable matter, leaves, grass, small twigs etc.

I’ve saved it and next year will spread it as compost.

Then I apologise without reservation.

It depends how your employers have set up your pay and contract.

At the very least you will pay Thai tax on all of your income (minus Thai tax allowances).

You may however be landed with a tax bill in Thailand + a tax bill in the UK.

The UK tax bill is calculated on the basis of (The amount of tax you would have paid on the same income in the UK - The tax you have paid in Thailand).

If your employers have done their homework then you might get some of your pay and allowances tax free.

After your fist full tax year out of the UK, for you that will be after April 2007, you will no longer have a UK tax liability and will only be paying Thai tax.

However, be warned. Your employer may be doing a deal with the Thai tax authority, basically agreeing to pay extra tax or agreeing a total tax bill (adding your tax to their company tax).

Before you sign the contract you should get a written statement of what your tax liability is and an example calculation.

Also take a look at other benefits you may be loosing. For example, you should make sure that if you are in the company pension scheme, your membership continues.

Then take a look at your employment contract to make sure that you are not being moved from the UK company and hence loosing 'Service Years'. It is common practice for companies to move you offshore, and to do this you need to effectively resign from your present employer to join their offshore subsiduary.

My advice if this is the case is to at the very first oportunity, write an email to your boss back home and get him to clarify some point, ie holiday entitlement or condition of contract. Also keep any and all emails/letters your home office sends you. These are evidence that you still work for the home office and can be used to re-establish service and pension conditons... been there and done that.

What do you expect with comments like that ?

It's a very crass way of boasting to everyone, & will not make you many "friends" anywhere.

I'll pretend I'm living in penury if it helps.

Dakhar, 300,000 Thai baht a month is an obscene amout.

It is actually about the going rate for an expat working with a multinational.

It is quite a bit less than what they pay the same expats should they, for example take an assignment in Europe.

Which is precisely why I left Thailand and came to Rome.

What's all this 'Pushng' thing, anyone would think we are talking about hard drugs here.

I'm not convinced that you ARE entitledIncapacity Benefit While Oveseas, there's a link there for Jobcenter Plus contact details, should you wish to follow the rules of the benits we pay you.

I think that Englishoak’s approach has a lot going for it. We see frequent posts here from people trying to estimate the cost of living in Thailand and a lot of ‘pie-in-the-sky’ figures for how much money is required to enjoy a retirement.

But take a look the GBP v Bht and there has been a 11% slip since September –anyone who is on a fixed income from the UK and already near the lower limit for meeting the pension visa income requirements must be worrying.

Likewise anyone who is taking out a mortgage/loan in Thailand to buy a house or car but supporting the loan from overseas.

My view is that purchases in Thailand need to be cash and the sooner you get the house/car bought the better. If we accept that buying anything in Thailand is a gamble, and the old adage that you should not invest any money in Thailand that you can’t afford to loose, then it becomes clear that ‘Yes retirement near the line is doable in Thailand but it comes with risks’ recent moves in exchange rates simply push more people into the higher risk band.

I’d also note that the exchange rate is cyclic and tends to go more in favor of overseas currencies around mid year, so if I was retired in Thailand and near the limit on income, I’d be looking to bring money in during the (almost predictable) rise around June time.

As I’m not retired yet, I’m just going to keep banging money into pensions/savings, and like Englishoak, I’m going to assume future price around Bht50 to the pound.

Oh and remember, its not just the exchange rate, it’s the local inflation + exchange rate, right now if we say inflation is at 8% and the exchange rate is down 11% we are looking at a rise in the cost of living of 19%, that to people on fixed incomes is a huge increase in costs.

Why don't you post a Poll listing the nationalities and let people vote

to show you where they come from.

The results will be easier for everyone to read,

rather than ploughing through hundeds of posts

If you do, can we have real nationalities and avoid including 'Provinces', for example Scotland would come under 'British'.

Well, I'm rather enjoying Rome right now.

The last person I’d want to wander around Thailand with is a Thai I don’t know.

It takes a lot of searching, or even more good luck, to find a Thai who is willing to forgo the comfort of any kind of shade from the sun in order to wander around anything that might be of interest to a foreigner – the difficulties multiply if the shade also happens to be a restaurant.

If you want to have an adventure in Thailand, go by yourself. If you meet a Thai person doing the same thing, all well and good … but you’ll be lucky.

We often rave how good Thai food is, without giving any consideration for food safety issues, such as chemical contamination.

It is not just the overuse of legal pesticides, illegal chemicals are widely available and used, and there are many fake copies of legal chemicals that are in fact again banned chemicals packaged to look like legally available brands.

Add to that the issue of illegal chemical dumping and failure to control/monitor industrial effluents and it is quite clear that like a lot of things in Thailand – The claims of “Good Food” do not stand close examination.

I socialise with people of more or less the same educational background as myself and who share similar interests.

Nothing to do with Hi-So or Lo-So, just common outlook.

But I would point out that in Thai society, there is huge importance placed on social circles. Having friends of what ever background is not merely as important has having a cicle of friends who get along together.

Where's the roof? My dad had a jeep about five years back but he said it was sprung like a skateboard. I only drove it once so I don't remember much about the suspension. However, those jeeps are really unstable at highway speeds and this one of course had the mandatory roll bar on it. However, it would be nice on cool day to cruise down by the beach.

If I put the roof up the Germans can't see me.

They hate seeing a good looking guy driving a great looking truck.

The suspesion is fine, independent on all wheels (this is a MUTT not a Jeep), but you are right, they are unstable at higher speeds.. but hey, I don't drive too fast.

The ideal speed, is slow enough for the Germans to get a good look (and get wound up) but fast enough so that women on the side walk can't jump into the passanger seat.

Nokia,

My advice to you when next you pass one of these slums is to pause for the thought that 'There but by the grace of god go I'.

Don't get me started.