Eneukman

16 hours ago, rasg said:

If she hasn’t driven before or had a history of driving in Thailand I wouldn’t ever suggest that anybody buys new. A cheapey a few years old is better. After the initial dings and knocks period that most drivers seem to have, then is to buy better.

 

My brother in law bought his oldest a new Toyota Yaris when he passed his test and regretted it. Within six months the Yaris looked as if he'd been stock car racing...

Her driving isn't too bad though she'll definitely need lessons in the UK before she can even think about sitting her test. She's had a couple of accidents recently but these were due to motorbikes using her car as a brake! Also, she's in her 50's so doesn't drive that fast, though I'll need to ensure that she pays attention to speed limits etc as it would be all to easy to forget that you're in  40 mph zone in places. Letting her son drive when he comes over for a visit WOULD be a mistake!

Alan

18 hours ago, MaprangHolmes said:

I would check that the car you want to buy, is still going to be zero rated tax after they all change in April. I think but I could be wrong this car has a co2 level of around 95 which would mean you would pay £120 road tax for the first year then £140 each year or buy a nearly new car which was registered before 31st March and still get zero rated road tax

You're right. Its CO2 emission is rated at 95. I'll check again in April. £120/140 isn't much but it would buy a few litres of petrol.. There are other cars I'm thinking about but I suspect that their emissions will be similar.

Alan

On 26/02/2017 at 10:10 PM, 7by7 said:

You may find that if she applies for cover to only drive as an accompanied provisional licence holder, with a condition that she does not drive unaccompanied with her Thai licence, that the premiums come down.

 

It is possible to obtain cover to drive with a Thai licence; when I was an ADI many of my pupils did. But it does require a lot of searching; the cheaper companies found through comparison sites usually don't offer it as they wont cover anyone they see as high risk.

 

I had the same trouble when I was an ADI; many companies wouldn't cover me because I was in the high risk category. Same when I got my licence back after I developed epilepsy; it is only now, after I have been free from attacks for 10 years, that can get cheap cover again.

 

I do, of course, recommend that she does have lessons with an ADI; driving in the UK is different to driving in Thailand. Plus, people develop bad habits over time; even experienced British drivers would probably fail if they had to take the test again without having any professional lessons first!

That's useful to know. It'll give my wife all the excuses she needs not to drive! I would be looking to buy a new, small car - something like the Peugeot 108 or similar, on which as far as I can gather, the road tax is zero. Hopefully, if we buy a new car, they'll provide us with free insurance for the first year. 

My brother tells me that parking where we'll likely be staying is going to be a major problem unless the place has off-street parking. Around half of the potential rental properties I've seen don't have parking outside your front door for one reason or another. Buying a car was going to be one of the first things I did but it looks as though I'm better waiting until we have a place of our own (rented) and both have up to date UK licences. At least being over 60, I can get a bus pass but will have to pay a fortune to take Noi with me when we go anywhere by bus.

Alan

19 hours ago, BrainLife said:

10 minutes, very slow. Last week I did it within 1 minute.

Last time I did my 90 day report, it took me between 5 and 10 minutes but there were 2 or 3 people ahead of me in the queue. I've been here almost 12 years now and have only once had a problem when doing my 90 day report and that was my fault for being more than 7 days late.

Alan

On 2/5/2017 at 11:02 AM, blackcab said:

 

In that case don't forget to pay Par See Rong Ruan at the district office each year. It's currently the time to declare last year's earnings. There is a formula to work out the tax payable. For a fully occupied unit with no void periods you will pay approximately 1 month of income. Gross rental income, not net profit. 

 

This tax applies even if a company director is living in the property and they are not making rental payments to the company.

I have accountants who prepare the company accounts each year and pay a small amount of tax at the same time. I'll let them handle this. Any tax paid in Thailand can be (should be!) offset against any tax payable in the UK.

I spoke to one of the condo rental agents a few days ago and she suggested that to transfer the condo into my wife's name, including closing the company, would cost around 175,000 baht.

Alan

On 2/4/2017 at 11:16 PM, Jdietz said:

https://www.filmon.com/group/uk-live-tv

 

I use that but I frequently get a message saying that 'the video cannot be played'. Yet, I can watch the same programme on my television and my phone at the same time and can continue to watch on one whilst I re-set the other. Also, I've noticed a time lag between the two at times.

Alan

13 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

UK government would just see money coming from Thailand into your wife's account. They dont know if you, your wife or a company owns the condo. Conversely, if your wife owned the condo and money came into your account it would be considered your income for tax.

HMRC would want to know the source of the money though and would try to tax it. One advantage of putting the condo into my wife's name is that if she was able to work part-time for the minimum wage, the rental income would probably keep her below £11,500 so she would have no liability to income tax. 

Alan

3 hours ago, blackcab said:

I believe some Thai people have income/dividends paid into their Thai bank account. They then use their Thai bank card/credit card for purchases while they are abroad and manage everything with Internet banking. They pay foreign transaction fees to the bank for the privilege.

 

That way what is in Thailand stays in Thailand. I'm not sure how or if they declare that to HMRC as every case is different.

If you live permanently in the UK, your worldwide income is liable to income tax and therefore any rental income would be liable to UK income tax. Any tax that may be payable in Thailand could be offset against any UK tax liability though I think that after deducting expenses - agents' fees, condo management fees, repairs and the accountants fees for preparing the annual accounts, the income would probably be close to or below the level at which income tax starts to be payable in Thailand. 

Omitting to report any income in Thailand to the tax authorities is not an option. If they find out after you've died, they will go back 5 or 6 years and demand any unpaid tax be paid together with interest and penalties. The penalties can be mitigated depending on how co-operative your executor is. They can then ask the beneficiaries of the estate to make a voluntary payment towards any unpaid tax for previous years though most people will refuse to do so. If they find out while you are still alive, they can go as far back as they please!

Alan

I agree that any rental income would be company income. However, if I subsequently transferred some of that rental income to the UK I am certain that HMRC would want to tax it as my income though the rate may only be 7 1/2% (my dividend income is already in excess of £5000) rather than 20%. If the condo was in my wife's name, the income would be added to any income she may earn in Scotland and if her total income was less than £11,500 (effective 6th April 2017), there would be no tax to pay. 

I may need to phone HMRC and see what they have to say. 

Alan

As I've mentioned in other topics, I'm returning to Scotland with my Thai wife in a few months. 

My condo is currently held in a company name (the Thai shareholders are my wife and her elder son). With the surplus of condos on the market just now (I live in Jomtien) it's proving difficult to sell plus, I think,. one agent is more interested in their commission than a sale at a reasonable price. If I don't sell by the time my wife has her visa (still got to face that hurdle!), I'll put it up for rent and / or sale. However, I don't really want the tax implications of having to report foreign income to the UK tax authorities so I am thinking about transferring the condo into my wife's name (I haven't told her this yet!).

Can anyone give an indication of the cost of this - transfer fees, closing the company, agents' fees etc? Assume a value for the condo if 2 1/2 million baht though I realise that the transfer fees will be based on the value put on the condo by the Land Office, which hopefully will be lower.

Thanks,

Alan

17 hours ago, rasg said:

Unfortunately, I don't think there is a Wilkinson's near where we'll be living (population 3000). I'll need to ask my brother at some point if there's a store in Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes or Dundee..A friend is coming over in May so I can also ask him to have a look as he used to be a driving instructor.

 

I have found a site for that gives several examples of the theory test, though I'm not certain how realistic they are.

 

Do a Google. I think I saw one on somewhere like Amazon in the last couple of weeks.

Thanks for that and the link. I've seen the DVD offered for sale by Amazon so I think I'll wait until we're in Scotland before ordering it unless I happen to be near a Wilinsons (or Wilko?) The nearest one seems to be in Falkirk - about an hour and a half away by car but it's a long time since I was last there so I don't know how easy it is to park there.

Alan

9 hours ago, bobrussell said:

We found that word of mouth was the best way to find a suitable instructor.

Talking to other Thai friends we found someone that had taught several other Thais. He turned out to be great, very patient and as stated earlier - a pass first time!

As I said above, we'll be living in a town with a population of 3000 so I doubt there will be that much choice locally. I have found 2 within a short distance of where we'll be living. Curiously, one lives next door to a house we may rent when we get there. Again, I'll make enquiries with my brother and friends.

Alan

14 hours ago, 7by7 said:

 

She does not need to display 'L' plates whilst driving with her Thai licence.

That's good news as I want her to get some practice on motorway driving in the UK - mostly 2 lanes for the few near me.

Alan

20 hours ago, MaprangHolmes said:

You can get a cheap Theory driving test DVD in wilkinson's for about £3 that has just about every question from the theory test which you just click the correct answer and it also has a selection of hazard awareness test for you to practice. Well worth the money.   

Unfortunately, I don't think there is a Wilkinson's near where we'll be living (population 3000). I'll need to ask my brother at some point if there's a store in Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes or Dundee..A friend is coming over in May so I can also ask him to have a look as he used to be a driving instructor.

I have found a site for that gives several examples of the theory test, though I'm not certain how realistic they are. 

Alan

12 hours ago, rasg said:

And make sure you get a grade 4 or even better grade 5 driving instructor. One of the useful bits of info that I found out about on a speed awareness course. I had no idea that they were graded.

I only found that out last year myself. My driving instructor friend was downgraded from 5 to 4 at one point because he was giving too much help to a pupil. As he said to me, he wanted to ensure that his pupils passed the test. Not only are driving instructors graded but examiners also have their 'work' assessed from time to time to ensure that their assessment of someone's ability to drive is fair. 

Alan

14 hours ago, 7by7 said:

Rubbish;  examiners judge all candidates on how they perform on the day.

 

Before I had to retire as an ADI for health reasons I taught many Thais, and other foreigners, to drive with a 100% pass rate; most first time.

 

Eneukman, your wife will need to obtain a GB (if she lives in England, Scotland or Wales) or NI (if she lives in Northern Ireland) provisional licence and pass the theory, including hazard perception, and practical tests before she can obtain a GB or NI full licence,

 

She does not have to wait until she has been here for 12 months, she can do this at any time. If she does so during her first 12 months residence then she can still drive unaccompanied using her Thai licence until she passes her tests.  But if she has not obtained her full GB or NI licence once the twelve months are up she cannot legally drive except as a provisional GB or NI licence holder.

 

I strongly recommend that she has professional lessons. Not just because different countries have different standards, but also because people pick up bad habits. Many 'experienced' British drivers would fail if they had to take their test again without refresher lessons first!

Thanks for that information. I'll apply for a provisional licence as soon as practical after we arrive in Scotland. Where we'll be living, the roads are fairly quiet with few traffic lights and only a handful of roundabouts so that'll make it easier for her.

As I said, a friend is a former driving instructor so I'll get him to assess her driving before getting a current driving instructor to give her more lessons and to take her to where she'll need to sit her test - about half an hour or so from where we'll be living. I'll sit in the back a couple of times so I know what he's telling her to do and more importantly not to do so I don't end up teaching her bad habits when she drives with me in the front passenger seat. It'll also give me a guide as to all the many bad habits I've picked up over the years and which would result in me failing the test if i had to sit it again. 

I found an example of the 'hazard awareness test' on-line with zero instructions and failed miserably! However, once I found instructions and went back and tried again, I scarped a pass. I scored zero on one of the videos, mainly because I clicked to soon before it had developed into a hazard. I think she could struggle to pass that unless the qualified driving instructor is able to give her some tuition and guidance as to how it should work.

Alan

I assume "L" plates should be displayed when she is driving under both a provisional and a Thai licence? Could be fun driving on the motorway with 'L' plates and the police stop us.

Alan

I shall be returning to live in the UK permanently with my Thai wife within the next few months. She has a Thai driving licence, which allows her to drive in the UK for 12 months. I'm keen that she should obtain a UK driving licence as soon as practical after she arrives in the UK without having to wait 12 months and then obtain a provisional licence (and 'L" plates) which would bar her from driving on motorways. That wouldn't be  problem locally but would be if she had to drive to and from Edinburgh, say.

Is there any way she can take her UK driving test based on her Thai driving licence? It's crazy that one day she can drive on motorways on her Thai licence but cannot do so days later if she has to convert to a UK provisional licence.

I would have to knock all her current bad habits out of her and make sure that she was able to pass the theory and 'potential problem ahead' awareness test first. A friend used to be a driving instructor so I can ask him to take her out (with me sitting in the back so I know what he's teaching her) before getting her some lessons from a current driving instructor who knows the roads where she'll have to sit her test. I assume that she would be allowed extra time in the theory test as English is not her native language.

Thanks

Alan

I speak to a number of co-owners at the pool in the afternoon, none of whom is satisfied with either the management company or the committee. No minutes have been published and it is not at all certain that there is even a committee at present.

As for complaints, these should be directed, initially, at the management company but if they fail to take the appropriate action, the committee should then seek to resolve matters. Unfortunately, where I live the management company just ignores co-owners' complaints. I attended a brief meeting where the Juristic Person Manager showed a total lack of respect by insisting on speaking in Thai despite a Thai committee member specifically asking him to speak in English.

Meantime, the agenda for the AGM has just been delivered and for the first time ever, is all in Thai rather than in both languages. Also, the date for the meeting in the agenda is given as being 29th January which, if correct means that the management company  will be in infringement of the Condo Act. That said, as far as I can recall, the notice in the lobby indicates that the meeting is due to be held on 28th January. Incompetence?

The problem as I see it is that too many co-owners don't know and / or don't care about the condo's regulations. I suspect, however, that if a fraud was to be discovered at some future date, they would be the ones shouting the loudest.

Alan

2 years ago for some unknown reason, 2 years ago, co-owners voted to elect a committee of 3. That quickly disintegrated with 2 of the 3 members resigning though no EGM was called, contrary to condo law. It seems that the 3rd member of the committee also resigned at some point though exactly when I don't know. 

At the AGM last year, co-owners voted to elect a committee of 5. Three Thais whose names only appeared the day before were elected and two farangs one of whose names only appeared at the last minute. When the result of the election was published, there was a substantial gap between the candidate with the 5th highest and the 6th highest number of votes, which to many people was highly suspicious. Between 6th and 7th (myself) the gap was 1000 votes, which is effectively a difference of 2 co-owners due to how the voting ratios work out. 

The original date of the AGM has been changed at least once, if not twice and is now due to be held on the very last day allowed by law - assuming that day 1 is not the 30th September when our financial year ends. 

The condo has 18 floors with a total of 880 units and is about 14 - 15 years old. The maintenance fee was originally set at 3600 baht per unit, which was unrealistically low. When the first committee took over, it had to build up the funds, which had been badly depleted by the builder. At the last AGM our financial position was satisfactory though I don't know the current position due to the continued failure of the management company to post the monthly financial statements. The fee for last year was, I felt, on the low side and I suspect it will be the same this year. That said, at the last AGM we were in a reasonable position financially.

There is general dissatisfaction amongst a number of co-owners but many are simply not interested. Unfortunately, we have many rental units, several of which are rented, illegally, for periods of less than 1 month. 

However, nothing will change unless a strong committee is elected in the future and I think the chances of that changing anytime soon is extremely remote.

Alan

Thanks for the replies. Yes, our financial year ends on 30th September so the first attempt at an AGM will be held within the 120 day period.

Originally, our financial year ended on 31st December but our then management company proposed to the committee that it should be changed to 30th September on the grounds that there would be more chance of getting a quorum at the first attempt. The then committee agreed though co-owners were never consulted on this. As the management company with the agreement of the same committee subsequently illegally introduced a new charge applicable to every room without the agreement of co-owners, this should not be a surprise.

No details of the agenda for the AGM have been released as yet though I suspect that we'll all get notification of it delivered to our individual mail boxes tomorrow and then have to go to the office to collect it. I suspect that a copy of the accounts won't be made available until immediately before the AGM. Considering the number of blindingly obvious mistakes in the accounts last year, this hardly gives time for those co-owners who are able to understand the accounts enough time to examine them in sufficient detail to raise questions (our condo accounts are supposedly audited). I very much doubt that anyone on the committee is capable of understanding even the most basic set of accounts and in one previous year, the arithmetic was wring!

The biggest problem where I live is that most of the people who attend meetings are truly apathetic. Error after error was pointed out in the accounts for last year, yet most people there were more concerned about how long the meeting was going to last! A further problem is that a large number of rooms are rented and consequently several give proxies to the agents (and their staff) who look after the property in their absence.

At the last AGM, I asked why so many emergency lights were not working and why many emergency exit signs were not illuminated. I very much doubt that there has been an improvement since then! Also, the most recent financial report that has been published on the notice board is for April which means that we are now missing the appropriate reports from May to December inclusive, unless some have suddenly appeared in the last 2 or 3 days. 

3 years ago, we brought in a new management company who are totally incompetent. Our previous management company had their faults but they at least did a reasonable job.

Alan

I know that under the Condo Act, a condo must hold its AGM within 120 days of the end of its financial year. It has been announced that our AGM will be on 22nd January, which is inside the 120 day period. However, if as is likely, there is no quorum on that date, the second attempt will be held 2 weeks later on 5th February, which will be about a week after the last date on which the AGM should have been held. Does the 120 day period refer only to the first attempt or must the second attempt  also be held within this period? In the 8 years or so since the first committee was electedm there has only once been a quorum at the first attempt. Last year, the number of co-owners in attendance was only around 15%.

A notice has been posted asking for volunteers for election to the committee but nothing has been said about electing a JPM. Should this not be advertised as well? Some members of the outgoing committee are, I suspect, strongly in favour of the existing JPM being re-elected. However, he is also the owner of our management company, which in my opinion is definitely not to be recommended. 

At the last election, 3 names appeared on the notice board the day before the election with a 4th name only being added immediately before the election. Is there a time limit before the election by which candidates should give notice of their intention to seek election to the committee?

Thanks,

Alan

On 1/7/2017 at 9:31 AM, happylarry said:

 

Once you have your affirmation to marry from the Embassy the easiest way to do it is take it to one of the many translation shops around the Embassy and leave it with them to translate and get stamped at the MFA and then they post to your home address.

You also need to get your passport translated and stamped at the same time. You don't leave your passport with them, you just leave a copy.

Once you have the documents then yes, you can use them in Suratthani.

There is a translation shop in the Homepro shopping center just over the road from the Embassy, on the first floor just before the exit to the skywalk.

HL

I used the translation shop in Homepro last year. They did the translation and dealt with the MFA for us and sent the affirmation to us a few days later. Their fee was reasonable and saved us a lot of hassle. We subsequently got married at the ampeur in Ban Chang in Rayong province where some of Noi's family live. If one ampeur won't marry you, try another.

As far as I can recall, I didn't need to have my passport translated. 

Alan

19 hours ago, billd766 said:

 

Just because they are banned it does not stop them driving. You can't fix stupid.

 

 

So my question should really have been, why hasn't this individual been banned from driving for life and spent some time in prison with the promise of more time in prison if caught driving again - regardless of how much he / she has had to drink?

Alan

On 1/1/2017 at 2:11 PM, Grouse said:

I'm one of the last of the beer monsters!

 

I do NOT accept that a particular concentration of ethanol in the blood EQUATES to incapacity.

 

Clearly, if one feels incapable then one has a moral responsibility not to drive. The RULES we put in place take away all personal responsibility.

 

I have always consumed whatever I feel personally responsible with. I have never had an accident nor have I ever been stopped. I am 62 and can remember when Barbara Castle introduced the breathalyser in the early '70s

 

For me, drunkenness in public is now much more of a problem generally, particularly with younger Brits. I'm not driving, THEREFORE I have a divine right to be a public nuisance And an embarrassment 

A friend, a former driving instructor used to cancel a lesson if he felt his pupil's ability to drive was impaired due to alcohol. He himself lost his licence after being stopped late one morning and found to be over the limit. You claim that you do not drive when you feel incapable but all the evidence shows that you are unsafe to drive long before you feel that way yourself. I sincerely hopw that if you ever have an accident whilst over the limit that the only person hurt is yourself.

Alan

14 hours ago, rasg said:

 

Yes you are unless they have changed things since February. After attending the IOM building they send you to one of three hospitals for the XRay. The Christian Hospital is closest and a few hundred yards away.

 

 

I hope so. As I am self employed mine was a Godsend. In your situation your validated bank statements or original bank statements and the rest of the documents should do the job.  

 

 

 

Let's hope they send us to the Christian Hospital!

I worked for many years in the banking industry the last 25 of which were in a specialist department in which I got a grounding in law, specifically law regarding Wills, accountancy and income tax. Also, my tax affairs are relatively simple and will become even more so when I return to Scotland to live. As I retired 12 years ago at the age of 50, my knowledge is a bit out of date but I still know the appropriate questions to ask if I need to contact any government department by phone or by email.

My bank statements shouldn't be required as I'm applying on the grounds of my income being in excess of £18,600. My UK savings are less than £60,000 (or whatever the limit is) and in any event have varied considerably over the last 6 months but showing a sizeable balance should help.

Alan