Surasak

37 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Fours years old and already falling apart at the seams... 

Chinese anyone?

The US of A is a big country with 50 states, but to refer to it as united is a bit over the top, to say the least. Laws on just about everything differ from one state to the next. Its like trying to nail jelly to a tree. Yeah, so it a great country, but like so many others, it has its fair share of nutters. Something to upset a few. I count my luck stars I have never been there, and to be honest, really don't ever want to.

19 hours ago, worgeordie said:

I had a couple on my shoulders , put Savlon  antiseptic cream on them every day,

and after a few weeks they just dropped off ,trouble is you cannot get Savlon in

Thailand , well you can on Lazada  but that's made in China ! ,I get my daughter

to send me some from UK , as you get older things start to grow on your body.....

 

regards Worgeordie

 

"as you get older things start to grow on your body....."

I wish that were true!😉

"The officials demanded a fine of 300,000 baht, allegedly paid in a bathroom, a detail that has raised suspicions of illegality."

Just a tad suspicious, but nothing to worry about. Perhaps the customs officer needed a pee!?🤗

2 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

Yikes! 😬 

Sorry lordgrinz. I made a mistake, but have corrected it. 8%, as the previous government reduced it early last year I believe.

6 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

 

I'm in my country right now. You try calling a thai bank and talking to the people in english... lemme know how it goes

Whichever Thai bank you use, if you phone the head office, NOT the local bank, you can ALWAYS talk to someone in English.

23 minutes ago, Surasak said:

I believe the UK is now 18%. Even  more of a Ponzi scheme.

My correction here. I am reliably informed it is 8%. it was reduced by the previous government.

2 hours ago, Tiger1980 said:

it is successive British governments who have refused to make an agreements with most other countries, mainly Canada,Australia, New Zealand etc etc.

By living in Thailand he is actually saving the British Government money as he does not receive a free bus pass, possible subsidised housing and of course the use of the NHS. Just think if all the elderly British ex - pats returned home the NHs would collapse. He and all the elderly ex - pats are in fact saving the British Exchequer billions a year, what I cannot understand is why successive government have not been savvy enough to realize that by encouraging the elderly to emigrate the country would save a fortune.

 

Another factor to consider is that British pensioners receive approximately £10,000 pa, maybe after paying into the system for 40+ years, while the cost of the Illegal Economic migrants is approximately £42,000 pa.

Please remind me, when have any successive UK governments had any savvy?

4 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

 

I assume they pay less in than us American's, we pay in 12.4% of our pay to the US government Ponzi scheme. 

I believe the UK is now 18%. Even  more of a Ponzi scheme.

4 hours ago, impulse said:

Honest question here...  Other than "I like Thailand" (or the Thai family) what would be the impediment to picking up sticks, cashing in your 400K baht (or 800K) and moving to the Philippines?  I'm looking more for a comparison of the legal and financial hurdles than a discussion of the relative merits of life in LOS vs Phils..  Is that even doable?

 

And if a Brit did move to the Phils, would their pension be boosted all at once or would it just start where it was in Thailand and be adjusted each year?

 

 

It would be automatically updated from the day of arrival if the UK DWP were informed of the move.

4 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

 

No it is not. He is more likely to be being paid out more than what he paid in. It is an acknowledged fact that National Insurance contributions do not fully cover the cost of pension payouts for the majority of beneficiaries. It is not the UK taxpayer's fault that Thailand did not agree to a social security agreement with the UK. The EEA group of nations, the Philippines , much of the  larger Commonwealth Caribbean countries, Turkey and the USA  have an agreement.   He picked Thailand, a nation without an agreement.

 

There is no reciprocal  agreement with the UK. If there was, he could get his adjustment. It takes 2 to make an agreement and Thailand did not agree.

 

As a resident of Thailand, he is not paying any UK income tax is he? He pays his tax in Thailand, and most likely is at a lower tax rate than in the UK.  None of what he receives is  spent in the UK in  goods and services nor paid in taxes to the crown.

 

The pensioners in the UK are  paying taxes in the UK  on their income in excess of  £12,570 and they pay VAT and  many, pay council tax either in full or in part. The cost of living is higher for UK residents than it is for Thailand residents.  The UK pensioners spend their pensions in the UK  and many have a part  of their pensions clawed back by the UK government. 

 

Anyone earning over £12,570 in the UK, be it pension or from work, WILL pay tax to the UK government. Because this guy lives in Thailand does not exempt him from that fact.

I could be a few hundred per month better off is such were the case.

I would suggest you amend your post to make that clear.

49 minutes ago, worrab said:

Get your Will written by a Thai Lawyer and this will include the 2 bank accounts. Then state who you wish to leave the contents to. Name who you wish as executor and this can be the Lawyer, if need be. Job done. 

Personally I wouldn't use a Thai lawyer to write my will. I walked away from two, who insisted they had to be the executor. I might be cabbage looking, but I'm not green.

There is no reason you cannot write your own Will, and have it witnessed. Just ensure the bank books are not given to the police, no matter what they threaten.

3 hours ago, JoePai said:

Could not pull out of the spin ?

How prescient!

21 hours ago, JoePai said:

Ban ALL double deckers - period !

A double Decker bus stood at its departure point, then loaded with passengers is a harmless entity. Then a driver sits himself behind the steering wheel and starts the engine. The double Decker has now become a vehicle of MASS DESTRUCTION!

And therein lies the problem. It is most definitely a country wide problem, not local to Bangkok. But, if you feel the need to spread the disease? 

No doubt it will be set off between 3 and 5am. "Now hear this. Now hear this. This is your Captain speaking. I suggest you get your emergency kit and head for the hills."

Won't apply to me. My phone shuts down at 10pm until 8am. I hate it when my beauty sleep is interrupted! 

Only in Bangkok! How long will it take to get around to the remainder of the country? Just another law to be ignored no doubt!?

3 hours ago, Gandtee said:

Difficult for whom? The applicant for having to make another journey for a document that has been thoroughly checked and just needs a stamp? Or for the Immigration officers?  Years ago, I could apply in the morning and collect my passport in the afternoon. Now at ninety-one, I could do without the extra journey.

 I sympathies. It now takes longer to drive to the immigration office, since they moved, than it does to check the paperwork and have the passport stamped. 15 minutes tops from being called to the desk, everything checked and passport being handed back. I leave and then don't bother for another year.

16 hours ago, Gandtee said:

After the visa is granted and the passport to be collected later at Jomtien Immigration, Does it have to be collected in person, or can a person with ID and collection number collect it?

Sounds very much like life being made difficult, just for the hell of it?

On 4/22/2025 at 12:52 PM, Hellfire said:

For the most part, a new language is best learned out of necessity. That’s why many foreigners lack sufficient motivation to learn this language, which is quite difficult for any Westerner.

Thanks for that get out. I first came to Thailand well over 30 years ago, just for the fun on my holidays. Almost everyone I came in contact with spoke very reasonable English, so no real necessity to learn Thai. When I moved here on retirement, my wife and many of the family speak English. Where was my incentive to learn Thai? Most Thai eateries make it very easy to order food and drink, so I won't starve. If I should need to travel on my own, there are many Thai people willing to help should the need arise, and its a bit late in the day now, so I won't bother now.

1 hour ago, KhunHeineken said:

Mytello does not offer free voice / video calls.  Not a problem for some, but a feature that many used to catch up with friends and relatives back home. 

What do you want? Cream on your choice of fruit?