wordchild

I believe Brexit itself , has been , pretty much, an economic and political disaster for the Uk. As I posted above. Nevertheless i think it would be completely inappropriate for the UK to seek to rejoin an unreformed EU. The UK should seek to make the best of where it now finds itself. As tempers cool (on both sides) it should be possible for the UK to maneuver itself, over time, into a better position relative to its largest trading partner. One of the biggest problems with Brexit was that it weakened the hand of the reformist agenda, within the EU itself, and strengthened those with a “no turning back” integrationist agenda. I am optimistic that, over time, the voices of “reason” will come to hold increased sway. I think it is possible , even likely, that we will see fundamental reform of the EU itself, over the next decade or two. It has always been illogical to impose a “one size only” model on the diverse group of nations that make up the EU, as it is currently , and aspires to be in the future. I think it would be right for the UK to rejoin some kind of “reformed” EU somewhere down the line, once these issues have resolved themselves. And until then make the best of the hand you now have.

Donkeys leading Donkeys. Brexit has been economically and politically disastrous for the UK, exactly as predicted by almost everyone (who knew anything about economics, or politics) Johnson, Leadsom, Farage ,Gove et al really did not have a clue what they were talking about during the pre-vote debates; just watch and listen (as i have done recently) to some of the complete garbage they game out with at the time, makes one want to weep. eg 1)The UK holds all the cards! we buy more from them than they do from us. remember that one? HaHa, and how did that game play out? 2) Control of our own borders, and? 3) Irish Border, never going to be an issue, according to one of the above mentioned protagonists, in a debate i watched again recently . What total ignorance (and arrogance!) re the complexity of Irish Politics. Brexit pretty much was unzipped on that one issue alone, even without all the rest of the lies and half-truths. A complete tragedy for a once great and much respected nation.

As she says. That is where i would go in this region. Otherwise London.

Problem is that there are young kids serving long (and in some cases, incredibly long) sentences in jail because of this law. people sense injustice here and seem to feel that some change is needed

Really inspirational, maybe there is some hope for the future of this country. fingers crossed!

I have no doubt he will support MFP. He is a man of principles. also an enormously talented guy. Thailand (and MFP) could really benefit from his return to frontline politics

that is what has been rumoured. At least as far as some of the larger/high profile shops along Sukhumvit are concerned. [Smoke filled boiler rooms.]

firstly i would question whether "regular" Thais put money into this sort of business. Those that did are beyond stupid. From what i have heard (reasonable sources!) , most of the shops, at least in BKK, are just money laundering fronts for those that need such things. I guess these people will just move on and find other ways to clean up their cash ( obtained from where they make the real money ie call centre investment scams, illegal gambling sites etc etc). Back to owning go-go bars?

I think pretty much any of the pharmacies mentioned above , offer fair pricing and good availability. And I think I have been in all of them at one time or another. FWIW, here is my tuppence worth: 1) SE pharmacy, good availability and fair pricing, customer service/advice pretty much zero. The smaller pharmacy around the corner on 15 same prices and , when he is on duty, quality advice from the manager of that shop. 2)Rungrot On-nut, busy and cheap , you need to know what you exactly want otherwise don’t even bother to enter. 3) Siam pharmacy on Ploenchit , for me this gets a WOW! really high quality and helpful pharmacist, especially the main lady there. Gave some great advice to my wife , just really helpful. fair prices. Reminds me a little of the best pharmacies in London and New York eg Bell and Croydon in London

As I read it, his speech was referring to the shared ethnicity of people on both sides of the strait. That is unquestionably true. However there has been separate political and social development between both countries for a considerable time now. I have spent time in both over the last 20 plus years, whatever the shared ethnicity, they are now very different. However, as an aside, I would say that many young people I meet in the PRC, have more in common with their peers in Taiwan than they have in common with the increasingly aged dinosaurs that currently run the PRC

Taiwan was part of China “from time antiquity “, ! this is ,factually, just complete rubbish. sadly this historical misinformation, is being fed to mainland Chinese, to stir up nationalist fervor and distract from some of the mess created by Xi and his current regime. There are many things to admire about the rise of China over the last 70 years, especially the reduction of poverty for so many millions. Deng was unquestionably one of the great World Leaders of the modern era. The so called “Great Leader” Xi is not fit to lick the soles of his shoes.

The link you posted is for a US based Financial Adviser, does not seem to be related, in any way, to the firm mentioned in the OP.

yes, more or less, that is it. Its not that the non-Thai investment income is "treated" in any particular way because of the specifics of where it is from. It is just , simply , that it does not count as THAI income. So , as far as Thai Tax is concerned, it is not assessable for (THAI) Income Tax. As long as it is NOT brought into the country, in the same year as it was earned, It falls outside their definition of Income. It may seem strange but it has similarities with the UK's tax treatment of UK resident non-doms. Lines of separation between what is defined as Income and Capital need to be drawn somewhere. It is just that Thailand (unlike the UK) extends this "applicable Income" definition (and therefore benefit) to all Thai residents, including its own citizens.

Thai Tax Law does not make a distinction between Capital Gain and Income from Investments, it all counts as Income and can be subject to Thai Tax. The exemption from Thai tax (other than the withholding tax, if applicable) is a concession that applies only to investments made on the SET (ie Thai stocks) and certain other kinds of investments. eg it does not apply to investments made on overseas stock markets. The OP does not say where he intends to hold his investments , in Thailand or another country. This is very relevant regarding his tax treatment. If one intends to invest outside Thailand then the best thing to do is to maintain an investment account outside the country and then only bring in the income (and any gains) after Jan 1st each year. This should avoid any issues with Thai Tax. A number of the major Thai brokers are also prepared to set up Overseas Investment Accounts for Thais and foreigners based in Thailand; these accounts are structured so that the investments are held by custodians outside Thailand and investors in these accounts are recommended to only repatriate funds in the following tax year, ie so no tax is applicable. The issue with these accounts is that they are (usually) more expensive to operate than an equivalent brokerage account set up with ,say, a Singapore or HK broker.

A problem with pools on high condo roofs is they can get really cold especially evening/night times. I used to swim ,after work , in the high-rise condo we lived in at the time. I was doing 50 plus lengths but still used to emerge shivering. we now live in a low rise and the pool is garden level ,embedded in the ground , ie it’s not a suspended box of water with circulating air around its base and sides. it stays pleasantly warm even in the evenings.

check the spread ie the difference between the buying and selling rates for the currency you are interested in; that is effectively the margin that the money changer is taking from the trade. That will give you a better idea than just looking at the rates on a particular day. Most of the big money changers in Thailand offer pretty competitive rates on the major currencies, as measured by the spread, but some offer consistently tighter rates than others and certainly better than the standard bank booths. In general much better to do your exchange (especially if its a large amount) with a changer who is offering both to buy and sell currencies ie rather than just swap foreign currency for TB. I dont know about in Pattaya but in Bangkok Vasu is normally pretty competitive.

Interesting post by the OP. Dr Copper (given its relative strength in recent months) is saying that the world's economies will get through this period just fine. Excepting , maybe, a few way overvalued US tech stocks. The copper price is something i check daily, along with Iron Ore, Brent, US Govt 10yr yield plus the major USD Currency pairs. Taken together these give a reasonable snapshot of the health of the Global Economy, IMO. I am not sure we will see a copper "super cycle" from here but , given the importance of this metal, in so many areas, it seems likely that the price will remain well supported.

Yes, it is definitely the case that multinationals operating in Thailand tend to bring in staff from elsewhere within the group (as they tend to do everywhere else) and i should have made that clear in my post. Recruiting from outside does happen , and i can think of a couple of examples, but it is rare. Funnily enough i do know someone who was recruited to a very senior position with Nestle Thailand from outside the group. However , in this case, he was well known to Nestle as he worked for a key supplier and was likely seen as someone with a specialist skill set. Maybe , as i suggested above, consider the NGO sector, or focus on Aussie mid-size companies (where your wife may have some connection) that have aspirations to grow in ASEAN.

The point i wanted to make to the OP is that the idea that EVERY company operating in Thailand is completely dominated by Thais is simply not true. The vast majority of the major INTERNATIONAL companies that operate in Thailand (a few of which i mentioned above) are not dominated by Thai execs. In most cases (that i can think of) many of the key positions are held by non-Thais. Obviously International businesses that operate here are required to adhere to Thai Law eg as regards to the level of Thai shareholding (covering the company owned Thai assets) , however these companies are able to structure themselves in ways that stay within the law but protect their own interests and retain effective control. The Thai Government is extremely keen to attract international companies to Thailand, especially those that intend to use Thailand as their regional HQ, and they are very well aware that a certain flexibility is required if they are to do this.

The company i was thinking of was Siam City Cement (SCCC), where both the CEO and CFO are non-Thai. The company has a range of shareholders (Thai institutions and other individuals) with the majority being Thai, as required by law. However the significant (and effectively largest) shareholder is Jardine Cycle and Carriage the Singapore conglomerate which is in turn controlled by the Jardine Matheson Group.

If a company was listed on the local SET then i could understand that a Thai CFO might be useful eg for ease of communication with auditors ,market participants, regulators etc. However it is certainly not a requirement , as far as i am aware. In fact i can think of at least one SET listed co where both the CEO and the CFO are non-Thai. The company I work for here (not SET listed) our CFO is Singaporean and, out of a local board of 8, we only have 2 Thais.

What about searching for a position with one of the international FMCG companies that have a significant presence in Thailand eg Nestle, Pernod,Diageo, Unilever, Haleon, etc etc. Probably zero chance that your wife (or any external hire) could get a very senior position with one of these. However , if her profile fits, she might get a shot at a good mid-level role. A finance role within an NGO or even the UN (which is huge here) might also be worth considering. Forget about local Thai companies, especially family controlled ones, for all the reasons mentioned above.

as others have said above, just get the app on your phone; personally i find the app is more flexible than ibanking (on pc). I am backwards and forwards between Thailand and Europe on a regular basis - and i have never (so far!) had any issues using the BBL app either in or outside Thailand.

Asia Tigers?

maybe a Chiropractor can help? Google Dr Mark Leoni a US Chiro who has worked in Bangkok for many years. I have seen him in the past (not for the same condition) , he is a nice guy and seriously good at what he does. Based in On Nut area.