jayboy

The battle ahead

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/thailand-s-election-will-country-move-forward

A timely warning

https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/thailands-revolutionary-election/

19 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Agreed, but the EC was hand picked by the military government.

Do not underestimate their power and the desperation of the existing government.

Then, it will then mean protests on the streets and lots of people arrested. Probably under the LM section 112 laws. ????

I really do hope that I am wrong.

I don't think you are wrong.There is so much history/evidence piled up on how the unelected elites (armed forces, tame justice system, upper bureaucracy Thai-Chinese business conglomerates, the palace,the entire Senate etc) will react in a situation like this - although their rejection by the Thai people is more overwhelming than ever.These groups have no real understanding of enlightened self interest but possess a whole basket of tricks to defeat democracy.The process will not be quick and there are many legal remedies available to them.So prepare to be disappointed.

I believe the situation is very dangerous because there are millions of Thais, mainly young, who will not put up with the old devils.Many of these young disaffected Thais are in the armed forces.Think of the the implications of that.

Is it still a requirement that for travel to Singapore it's necessary to submit an online arrival form no more than 3 days before actual arrival?

The Krungsri (KMA) app on my Iphone permits facial recognition to log in.I don't suppose that is relevant in the context of the new requirement to pay a visit to a branch.Right?

Does the restriction on transfers also apply to those undertaken on the bank website?

9 minutes ago, onthemoon said:

Gee, I was just a few months too late. My application was sent to MOI in April 2021, still waiting for the MOI interview.

As far as I know there is no MOI interview involved.

On 4/22/2023 at 4:06 PM, Keep Right said:

The ladies are fun but most are uneducated and boring.

To be fair the same description could be applied to their customers.

1 hour ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Just checked a law firm's website and indeed there is a category for supporting Thai spouse or family. I stand corrected.

I may have not got this quite right but I seem to remember being advised by a senior Thai lawyer that it was better to apply for PR on the business rather than family basis since the criteria were exactly the same, and there was no need to involve the wife. So that is what I did.

I hope the complacency being shown in Thailand does not lead to needless suffering.Vulnerable people should receive the bivalent vaccine.

See the report in yesterday's New York Times which has been authorized by the paper to reproduce.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/health/covid-booster-shots-seniors.html?unlocked_article_code=gBS69Ikru9pE-KO8jbd3FPa3QFzx-_SlVqKzld9kuyMTY6oGG7gRyf2DBuJaEUlSQzLQHyYS8RLJ9fBwaZuEHcAWIhb0-Du2IQheQSC1796Q9mYVsWsze3shOzImhj6ieaUOLYDr0P8Bg1uc5zzefX6UGkSkejGlYjhUqJPiAou1jDjF12Fjka0G2Hq0KzlHHUwk8cZlG6tQzbOkLzO8Ox9vOYrFLsnU1jPmlg3f2aGDCwSX-1oYR7uwClly4qIlL8o9OYFvmpoEbRlVmxKv-BQtGkCTHvOdleTkRm-Ckn7XkNHgsJ8jFyKTES__ZdcnMdd6iOEjfjnVOiea-ho8jb8NhK8&giftCopy=0_NoCopy&smid=url-share

7 hours ago, proton said:

In Bkk at the dermatology hospital Victory monument, dont think I will bother with it

Opened the Grab app on my phone for the first time for a long time.Can't see the moving black indicators for Grab cars which used to be the case.Or perhaps most Grab drivers don't work over Songkran.Has the app changed so as not to show Grab vehicles in the vicinity?

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

also like Central because they have the local monopoly on UK brand Waitrose products in Thailand, which fill the need for a lot of western things I like

But tragically Waitrose sugar free tonic water is no longer available there - at least not for the last few months.

14 hours ago, 300sd said:

My foreign bank also asked for my tax number. I told them that I don't have one and I don't pay taxes here. I also can not be bothered to get one so let me know if I should move my funds elsewhere! (I didn't say that last part out loud)

If you are a retiree with a foreign sourced pension and with no Thailand income, this is not necessarily the wrong answer for your bank. If your pension is being taxed in your country of origin (or arguably even if it's not) then simply tell your bank you have no TIN, no contact of any kind with the Thai tax authorities and no Thai taxable income.

50 minutes ago, Haddo said:

It's actually not that difficult - I got PR with my (Thai) wife assisting following Camerata's excellent Guide on here. 

There's no actual need to have a law firm or company to help. Plus it saves a lot of money. 

 

It depends on the individual's circumstances and their available time/appetite for dealing with Thai bureaucrats/willingness to pay.I have friends with PR who have done everything themselves.I have friends with PR who have used legal firms.A common denominator is that most were lucky enough to have had Thai secretaries that dealt with assembling the paperwork.Obviously a presentable/diligent wife would be of equal value.Oddly enough though most of the PR people I know were good or very passable Thai speakers most downplayed the importance of facility in the language. All stressed the importance of tax paid - the more the better. On the other hand I have heard reports that the language requirements have toughened up in recent years

Somebody mentioned Mazars as the firm they used.This is exactly the kind of firm I would use now (if I decided to use a firm as opposed to doing it myself) - solid, accountable if somewhat pricey. On no account would I use one of those firms - always with crappy websites - pitching to foreigners.In practice the donkey work is done by junior legal assistants.

If you comply with PR criteria you will almost certainly succeed.

Camerata's Guide is excellent but it needs a public spirited person to revamp it since it is rather unwieldy now.

Interesting thread. A common theme is the increasing cost of heath insurance premiums though in my experience over many years is that these have always easily exceeded the inflation rate.These increases apply to everybody not just the older customers.What I'm not sure of, and perhaps someone could advise, is whether - because obviously claims are more frequent in older people - there is an extra increase simply because the customer is old. My other query is whether in health insurance there is any element of non claim bonus - though I don't think there is.

On 3/24/2023 at 8:22 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

I used a money belt, so never worried about losing it.

Classic

20 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

which IMO the probability of which exceeds the risk of loss...

I agree with your post but not this bit. Losing a passport is a massive inconvenience and I never take it with me anywhere in Thailand except for the rare occasions I know in advance it will be needed - eg immigration rituals.

1 hour ago, nigelforbes said:

Yup, that will work.

 

But you can see where this is headed in the future. I have two pensions paid directly into my Thai bank, Bahtnet sees them and so does Bangkok Bank, Bangkok Bank even has a copy of the signed direct deposit form for the US pension. Even if I didn't declare the income, it's just a matter of time before the Revenue asks questions. They know the source and they know the amounts and the math is simple enough, it would be impossible for me to deny. 

Can you not get your pensions paid into accounts at UK or US banks.

29 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

Believe what you wish, I'm sure you'll see first hand proof of what I have said, before long.

 

Now that the banks with hold tax on all interest, everyone has a choice, either file a tax return and reclaim the tax or forgo the tax. But if you chose to reclaim the tax you have to file a tax return and in doing so you must declare all your income, otherwise you have filed a false return which is punishable. Now the stakes are higher, do you file the return and forget to mention that pension and investment income, tell me, do you feel lucky. Anyway, I file a return and I declare my pension income and some years I pay tax in Thailand so for me this is not an issue, not so for many others however, especially as interest rates rise.

 

Easy.Don't file a Thai tax return (unless there is a compelling requirement to do so) especially since in the vast majority of cases the tax to be reclaimed is chicken feed. Yes interests rates are rising but they are still low in Thailand.

IF one files a return then one must state all income that is eligible.Obviously pension and investment income must be included. I file a UK tax return and declare all relevant income.

But for the run of the mill expat pensioner one would be well advised to avoid submitting a tax return.IF one has Thai investment income that's a different matter and as to the UK angle one would need to take professional advice.

1 hour ago, nigelforbes said:

The difference with the Thai Revenue tax net is that it is so small, less than 5% of the population pay tax via a tax return. Many locals who run small businesses or who are self employed are careful to not issues receipts and cash in hand work is very common. Foreigners however are reliant on the banking system to receive funds from overseas which makes them a prime target that is easily traceable. With all due respect to your Bangkok contacts they are wrong on this point. Banking regulations have been tightened as a result of new AMLO rules plus the taxation of all interest at source means it is now easier than ever to trace tax liability. I have had this discussion with the manager in charge of my tax region who tells me that foreigner income is a soft target, hence the questionnaires regarding pensions and income in many tax offices when foreigners try to reclaim tax on interest.

Don't buy any of this. Thailand Tax authorities will concentrate on the vast army of tax evading Thais and not a bunch of relatively low income foreign pensioners. Contrary to what you say it's not a simple matter at all to trace tax liability of foreign pensioners, and equally to the point, the effort involved and prospect of modest additional receipts make it not at all cost effective.

On 3/22/2023 at 9:00 AM, nigelforbes said:

increasing the tax net is the Revenue's highest priority and resident foreigners are a prime target. 

Increasing tax receipts is every Revenue Department's priority in every country.However there is little or no no evidence for the contention that resident foreign pensioners are a prime target.I have checked this with two accountancy firms in Bangkok.They advise there while there is no evidence resident foreign pensioners are a prime target, naturally resident foreigners with income or investments in generated in Thailand must be careful to pay tax in accordance with local regulations.

There may be some pensioners caught up in the Thai income tax system, perhaps because they incautiously claimed back tax imposed on interest without fully considering the implications. Odd really because the amounts involved are so small - in most cases scarcely worth bothering about.

20 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

It varies from year to year, if I need extra income one year, from my private pension, the lowest rate of tax here makes it an inexpensive transaction. Obviously I try not to pay any tax, if it can be avoided if it can't Thai tax rates are cheaper than uk rates, at my level of income.

 

But how did you become involved in the tax system in the first place? In my experience I have never been aware of a foreign retiree -without any Thai investment income - volunteering to pay Thai tax on pension income.There could be a reason to do so, perhaps if a condition of pension income being paid free of tax by the UK provider being evidence it was being taxed in Thailand.

Another possible reason is that UK banks are increasingly under pressure to clarify customers' tax status. It could also be that you simply wish to 'do the right thing' which is admirable.

22 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

It varies from year to year, if I need extra income one year, from my private pension, the lowest rate of tax here makes it an inexpensive transaction. Obviously I try not to pay any tax, if it can be avoided if it can't Thai tax rates are cheaper than uk rates, at my level of income.

 

13 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

Yes, I have three. My UK state pension falls within my UK personal allowance. My US SSc is not taxable here so is not mentioned on my Thai tax return. My private UK pension is also within my UK personal allowance which means it is not taxed in the UK, but, the sum of the UK state pension and my UK personal pension, can mean I am taxed in Thailand. But the private pension is a SIPP so I can control the amounts and the timing of them. 

You will presumably have good reasons but I'm struggling to understand why you are paying tax on your pensions in Thailand, particularly as the amounts involved are small.