Why should i invest in Thailand?

[janclaes47]

26 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

I am joking but as others have said, like Toyota, Starbucks or BMW etc, its on a whole different level.

 

If you operate in a sector eligible for BOI promotion you can obtain 100% foreign ownership.

 

Business Activities Eligible for Promotion

 

• Agriculture and agricultural products
• Mineral, ceramics and basic metals
• Light industry
• Metal products, machinery and transport equipment
• Electronics and electrical appliances industry
• Chemicals, paper and plastics
• Services and public utilities

[Oxx]

8 minutes ago, steve73 said:

I recently found a UK investment trust that is invested 100% in Thai listed companies.  Aberdeen New Thai (ANW).    

 

On the negative side, it has underperformed the SET50 over the long term (particularly in the last few years) after correcting for changes in exchange rate.  You'd be better off with a SET50 tracker fund or Thai ETF (e.g. iShares MSCI Thailand ETF).

 

On the extra negative side, various actively managed funds in Thailand investing in the SET have outperformed both.

 

The only pluses I see with ANW are (a) it avoids the more corrupt companies in the SET, and (b) its charges are relatively modest.

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, micmichd said:

Why should someone want full ownership of something when he's already aware that it will be his last days? 

If it is the case of owning his own home, it would give him security for the rest of his life. His wife then cannot put him out in the future, unless he is ordered out for unreasonable behaviour by a court, and he decides who can or cannot live in his house apart from maybe his wife, or until he decides he wants to leave Thailand and go back to his own country.

Edited June 18, 2018 by possum1931

[Mattd]

13 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

 

If you operate in a sector eligible for BOI promotion you can obtain 100% foreign ownership.

 

Business Activities Eligible for Promotion

 

• Agriculture and agricultural products
• Mineral, ceramics and basic metals
• Light industry
• Metal products, machinery and transport equipment
• Electronics and electrical appliances industry
• Chemicals, paper and plastics
• Services and public utilities

Exactly, there are ways to have ownership, BOI is one of them, which also comes with big tax breaks, both on revenue and importation of foreign equipment, plus of course different rules for expat employees etc. The drawback is it doesn't last forever.

 

A big player in the offshore vessel market has recently set up a Thai entity and flagging their fleet in Thailand to Thai flag, one of their biggest concerns was keeping control of their assets, especially those still mortgaged, (imagine the foreign bank reaction to this in the first instance) their lawyers managed to find a perfectly legal way of doing both through the Thai entity, all very acceptable to the relevant Thai authorities, the issue for most small investors is the cost of finding out how to do it legally.

Edited June 18, 2018 by Mattd

[55Jay]

"Up To You, Mate!"

 

~ Ancient Thai Proverb

 

?

[stevenl]

46 minutes ago, JAZZDOG said:

Why invest in LOS with all the corruption, political issues when there are so many places one can invest with a history in rule of law. Can you not read between the lines that foreign investment is not welcome here and will not be profitable without becoming involved in corruption in one way or another. Or by skirting the law.

Because wanting to live here?

 

And no, it is easily possible to have a legal and profitable business here without corruption. Your negativity seems to be clouding your viewpoint.

[geriatrickid]

So why should i invest in a country that does not allow a foreigner to have full ownership of any land/building and business?

 

You should not.

 

 

 How does Thailand attract foreign investors? 

Tax waivers, subsidies, side agreements, co-investing. It seems to have done well for the 4000 Japanese firms who have operations in Thailand. 

[xylophone]

24 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

If it is the case of owning his own home, it would give him security for the rest of his life. His wife then cannot put him out in the future, unless he is ordered out for unreasonable behaviour by a court, and he decides who can or cannot live in his house apart from maybe his wife, or until he decides he wants to leave Thailand and go back to his own country.

A flaw in that I think (respectfully)…………..a farang cannot completely own his own house as his wife/ptnr has control of the land lease, so he can be in a precarious position should the wife turn against him.

 

Many posts regarding this and the unpleasantness from family which makes living there impossible. So no guarantee of security for the rest of his life!

[NoshowJones]

11 minutes ago, xylophone said:

A flaw in that I think (respectfully)…………..a farang cannot completely own his own house as his wife/ptnr has control of the land lease, so he can be in a precarious position should the wife turn against him.

 

Many posts regarding this and the unpleasantness from family which makes living there impossible. So no guarantee of security for the rest of his life!

If he bought the house in his own name (IMO it is wrong for the Thai government not to allow a foreigner to buy a house in his own name, and a small amount of land that it is on) of course it would be security, providing he does not do anything untoward.

[simoh1490]

2 hours ago, Get Real said:

They don´t

Rubbish, so FDI is a figment of everyone's imagination is it!

[xylophone]

26 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

If he bought the house in his own name

But that's the point, he can't.

[InMyShadow]

Pretty clear OP is not some wealthy industrialist. 

 

So we are only talking condos. If your going to live your days out here then absolutely but forget bangkok As new big condos are now out of reach and who wants to live out their twighlight years stuffed in a shoe box? Ooooops most TV members do, ?

[NoshowJones]

13 minutes ago, xylophone said:

But that's the point, he can't.

Did you not read my full post?

[micmichd]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

If it is the case of owning his own home, it would give him security for the rest of his life. His wife then cannot put him out in the future, unless he is ordered out for unreasonable behaviour by a court, and he decides who can or cannot live in his house apart from maybe his wife, or until he decides he wants to leave Thailand and go back to his own country.

If he worked in his home country he should be able to live on his pension, and that is enough security for him. 

The scenario you describe is exactly what should be avoided: to conialize it all, even his Thai wife (and maybe her kids), and then leave it all behind after messing it up.

A man of his age should be able to make a clear and reliable decision about which side he belongs - even in case of a divorce. 

Anyway, the OP was not about housing or real estate as far as I can see. 

Edited June 18, 2018 by micmichd

[JAZZDOG]

Three good reasons to never consider investing here happening in the country right now.

 

1-

jonwilly

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Posted 30 minutes ago

As a resident I have not followed this thread.

However while having breakfast this morning with 2 local businessmen They say it's all from the Army who have had pressure placed on them by government and owners of big hotels.

Thailand is now very low on tourists and They say the closing of guest houses is to chase visitors into more expensive established Hotels.

 

john

 

 

 

 

[JAZZDOG]

#2

 

BestB

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Posted 3 hours ago

It may be all related but this morning channel 7 Thai news , I missed half of it but from what I heard and understood or misunderstood , they are now going to go door to door checking every house and condo that is owned by a foreigner or with foreigner involved. 

 

Again i I did not hear full story, perhaps it will be repeated or will be on line shortly , but it did not sound very pleasant.

 

Commentator made a remark along the lines of “ government does not want foreigners here”

 

But once again , I only heard it partly and may have misunderstood the whole sentence or context it was said in.

 

[JAZZDOG]

#3

 

Wonderful, makes my decision much easier. Join me at my Guesthouse in beautiful Salvador-Bahia. Ranked the cleanest air in the world. Don't know why I put up with this so long.

 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/23507992?location=Itapua%2C Salvador%2C State of Bahia%2C Brazil&guests=1&adults=14

Edited June 18, 2018 by JAZZDOG
typo

[NoshowJones]

14 minutes ago, micmichd said:

If he worked in his home country he should be able to live on his pension, and that is enough security for him. 

The scenario you describe is exactly what should be avoided: to conialize it all, even his Thai wife (and maybe her kids), and then leave it all behind after messing it up.

A man of his age should be able to make a clear and reliable decision about which side he belongs - even in case of a divorce. 

Anyway, the OP was not about housing or real estate as far as I can see. 

We will have to agree to disagree on this.

[simoh1490]

43 minutes ago, JAZZDOG said:

#2

 

BestB

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Posted 3 hours ago

It may be all related but this morning channel 7 Thai news , I missed half of it but from what I heard and understood or misunderstood , they are now going to go door to door checking every house and condo that is owned by a foreigner or with foreigner involved. 

 

Again i I did not hear full story, perhaps it will be repeated or will be on line shortly , but it did not sound very pleasant.

 

Commentator made a remark along the lines of “ government does not want foreigners here”

 

But once again , I only heard it partly and may have misunderstood the whole sentence or context it was said in.

 

Rubbish and nonsense, stop scaremongering.

[simoh1490]

46 minutes ago, JAZZDOG said:

Three good reasons to never consider investing here happening in the country right now.

 

1-

jonwilly

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Posted 30 minutes ago

As a resident I have not followed this thread.

However while having breakfast this morning with 2 local businessmen They say it's all from the Army who have had pressure placed on them by government and owners of big hotels.

Thailand is now very low on tourists and They say the closing of guest houses is to chase visitors into more expensive established Hotels.

 

john

 

 

 

 

This also is nonsense and scaremongering, it shouldn't be allowed.

[spambot]

2 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

On the negative side, it has underperformed the SET50 over the long term (particularly in the last few years) after correcting for changes in exchange rate.  You'd be better off with a SET50 tracker fund or Thai ETF (e.g. iShares MSCI Thailand ETF).

 

On the extra negative side, various actively managed funds in Thailand investing in the SET have outperformed both.

 

The only pluses I see with ANW are (a) it avoids the more corrupt companies in the SET, and (b) its charges are relatively modest.

Enjoyed both of your posts steve73 and Oxx 

Depends on which countries you are from - I am guess steve is Uk and Oxx is YS - If taking the Uk route as a investor you must bear in mind the Tax on dividend only has an allowance now of £1,000 .

On a personal note - The SET looks like its recent move is on a downtrend - Possibly reacting to the FED - But not yet clear if this will continue.

Looking at the iShares ETF - Interesting to see the top 10 investments contained

 

PTT.R	PTT NON-VOTING DR PCL	Energy	Thailand	11.09	49,118,532.79
CPALL.R	CP ALL NON-VOTING DR PCL	Consumer Staples	Thailand	8.04	35,606,972.33
AOT.R	AIRPORTS OF THAILAND NON-VOTING DR	Industrials	Thailand	5.95	26,376,758.63
KBANK.F	KASIKORNBANK PCL F	Financials	Thailand	5.06	22,428,967.98
SCB.R	SIAM COMMERCIAL BANK NON-VOTING DR	Financials	Thailand	4.49	19,907,149.52
ADVANC.R	ADVANCED INFO SERVICE NON-VOTING D	Telecommunications	Thailand	4.08	18,079,956.20
PTTEP-R	PTT EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION NON	Energy	Thailand	3.92	17,370,899.10
PTTGC.R	PTT GLOBAL CHEMICAL NON VOTING DR	Materials	Thailand	3.78	16,730,493.04
SCC.R	SIAM CEMENT NON-VOTING DR PCL	Materials	Thailand	3.32	14,721,193.66
KBANK.R	KASIKORNBANK PUBLIC NON-VOTING DR	Financials	Thailand	2.68	11,859,496.43

 

 

[Sprigger]

You shouldn’t, 

[Justfine]

7 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

Rubbish and nonsense, stop scaremongering.

Those things are common on the internet. Intelligent people can work things out for themselves.

[Senseo]

1 hour ago, InMyShadow said:

Pretty clear OP is not some wealthy industrialist. 

 

So we are only talking condos. If your going to live your days out here then absolutely but forget bangkok As new big condos are now out of reach and who wants to live out their twighlight years stuffed in a shoe box? Ooooops most TV members do, ?

I never said i was and that's not the point but thanks for contributing to the thread..

Edited June 18, 2018 by Senseo

[Pilotman]

I have been looking at investment opportunities for many months here in Thailand.  My conclusion is that it is one of the most unfriendly,  un-supportive,  unsympathetic, restrictive and low return countries for any kind of investment. Yes, I own a house here, well 49% of it, but I dont' expect to  ever get a return on that. In many ways its a write off and any investment I make here is the  same.  Look elsewhere is my firm advice. 

[JAZZDOG]

5 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

I have been looking at investment opportunities for many months here in Thailand.  My conclusion is that it is one of the most unfriendly,  un-supportive,  unsympathetic, restrictive and low return countries for any kind of investment. Yes, I own a house here, well 49% of it, but I dont' expect to  ever get a return on that. In many ways its a write off and any investment I make here is the  same.  Look elsewhere is my firm advice. 

The most intelligent post I have read.

[JAZZDOG]

18 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

This also is nonsense and scaremongering, it shouldn't be allowed.

How is it able you can breath with your head so far in the sand.

[Thaidream]

Te vast majority of expats living in Thailand and investing are very small investors -less than  10 million Baht.  They purchase condo's; possibly rent them out; or at times flip them. There is money to be made if one knows the market and Thailand.

 

The really big investors- millions of dollar/pounds  etc came to Thailand during the 60's when Visas and work permits were for life and invested and a few became billionaires. There are probably less than 20 foreigners still alive and in that category-some who have become Tjhai citizens.

Now there are huge corporations coming into Thailand with billions of dollars . These are the people who will  make huge profits and will get government incentives.

 

For the rest of us small time investors- stay legal; follow the rules and don't compete with the locals. For those new to Thailand and want a small investment- stay, learn the language and how to do business in Thailand and make sure you can afford to lose it all and have a backup plan.

[JAZZDOG]

1 minute ago, Thaidream said:

Te vast majority of expats living in Thailand and investing are very small investors -less than  10 million Baht.  They purchase condo's; possibly rent them out; or at times flip them. There is money to be made if one knows the market and Thailand.

 

The really big investors- millions of dollar/pounds  etc came to Thailand during the 60's when Visas and work permits were for life and invested and a few became billionaires. There are probably less than 20 foreigners still alive and in that category-some who have become Tjhai citizens.

Now there are huge corporations coming into Thailand with billions of dollars . These are the people who will  make huge profits and will get government incentives.

 

For the rest of us small time investors- stay legal; follow the rules and don't compete with the locals. For those new to Thailand and want a small investment- stay, learn the language and how to do business in Thailand and make sure you can afford to lose it all and have a backup plan.

In other words run like hell. Return on condos filled with hordes of Chinese. Good luck with that.

[Senseo]

2 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

For the rest of us small time investors- stay legal; follow the rules and don't compete with the locals. 

"Don't compete with the locals." I can't tell you how many times i have heard that line. Why not? 

Is that only for foreigners? Can you compete if you're Thai?