Thai is the best nationality there is!" Former American pays through the nose to renounce US citizenship

[zhounan]

Certainly better than that US

[mike787]

NOT smart, but glad it's his choice NOT mine.  

[Laughing Gravy]

41 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

While people shoot up drugs in broad daylight in San Francisco without access to

You wouldn't ever see that in Thailand would you!

[Captain Monday]

12 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

You wouldn't ever see that in Thailand would you!

What I saw there in January on Hyde Street was...Honestly I have never seen anything

that disgusting in any country.

[Laughing Gravy]

4 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

What I saw there in January on Hyde Street was...Honestly I have never seen anything

that disgusting in any country.

You are right it is disgusting in any country but very naive to think you won't see it in Thailand. Go through Bangkok, Klong Toey and some other places and you will be surprised.

 

Its happening in every major city in the world. Some more open than others.

[JimmyTheMook]

18 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

I would do the same in his position.

Nuclear weapons and submarines?

The F-35? Giving money to Israel?

While people shoot up drugs in broad daylight in San Francisco without access to 

housing, toilets and showers?

 

 

Did she say giving money to Iran ?

[William C F Pierce]

The best never. I don't suppose he has ever been to Costa Rica.
Go there and get 90 days on arrival. A 2 year Visa for $200 and another $100 for the 3rd year. After which you can get permanent residency. You need to put $60,000 in a Costa Rican Bank. Unlike the 800,000 Baht you can't touch. You can invest your $60,000 in a home or business straight away. Minimum income needed is $1000 a month. In Thailand you can only lease up to 1600 sq. ms. (1 Rai). In CR you can buy 4 to 5K sq. ms. for far less money than Thailand and you own it freehold. There is NO signing on at immigration every 90 days. Of course it has no Military Junta as it does not have an army. Compare it to Chiang Mai. Cool season 15C CR West Coast 17C . Hot season CM 37C to 41C whilst CR averages 34C. CR does not have CMs high level of pollution. Cost of living is higher but worth it or it is about the same if you only buy imported food. Another big plus is Medical Care is free for all residents. Have I wasted too many years coming here????????

[Neeranam]

On 3/11/2020 at 12:30 PM, mike787 said:

NOT smart, but glad it's his choice NOT mine.  

I actually like having the choice. Are you sure you wouldn't like dual citizenship, giving you the choice? Maybe you are happy queuing up at immigration.

[mike787]

55 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I actually like having the choice. Are you sure you wouldn't like dual citizenship, giving you the choice? Maybe you are happy queuing up at immigration.

dual - yes...giving up US - no!

[Neeranam]

20 minutes ago, mike787 said:

dual - yes...giving up US - no!

Seems to be a rather smart choice to me, just for tax reasons alone. 

He could easily get a visa for the USA, being an ex-citizen.

Why do you think it is not smart? They guy has lived here basically all his life.

I wouldn't give up UK citizenship but they don't have a ridiculous tax law like the USA.

If you had lived here for decades, got citizenship, spoke fluent Thai, you might get <deleted> off with people constantly asking you what your real nationality is.

[GinBoy2]

51 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Seems to be a rather smart choice to me, just for tax reasons alone. 

He could easily get a visa for the USA, being an ex-citizen.

Why do you think it is not smart? They guy has lived here basically all his life.

I wouldn't give up UK citizenship but they don't have a ridiculous tax law like the USA.

If you had lived here for decades, got citizenship, spoke fluent Thai, you might get <deleted> off with people constantly asking you what your real nationality is.

This tax thing is ridiculous.

 

Yes the US taxes all US citizens on their worldwide income, but for 99% of tax payers the foreign earned income allowance means it doesn't affect you.

 

Now I think for the Brits you got all uppity when Boris sold his multi million $ home in the UK and he realized he might have to pay US tax as a US citizen.

 

For the average Joe, and this numbnuts is even lower than your average Joe, it's an irrelevance.

[moldresistant]

3 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

This tax thing is ridiculous.

 

Yes the US taxes all US citizens on their worldwide income, but for 99% of tax payers the foreign earned income allowance means it doesn't affect you.

 

Now I think for the Brits you got all uppity when Boris sold his multi million $ home in the UK and he realized he might have to pay US tax as a US citizen.

 

For the average Joe, and this numbnuts is even lower than your average Joe, it's an irrelevance.

FEIE is only up to 100k though

[GinBoy2]

1 minute ago, moldresistant said:

FEIE is only up to 100k though

And you honestly think he's earning $100K in Thailand?

[Relocated]

When one loses US citizenship it becomes a huge controversy anywhere, and when tens of thousands lose their original citizenship by obtaining US citizenship through naturalization, no one knows about it. Another form of US bashing, I guess.

Edited March 24, 2020 by Retarded

[Neeranam]

23 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

And you honestly think he's earning $100K in Thailand?

Why not? Do you know his job?

[GinBoy2]

23 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Why not? Do you know his job?

Yeah, he's talked about it enough if you'd read all the stuff.

 

He works for a non profit Church organization.

 

...if thats paying $100K+ in Thailand no less. Hallelujah, sign me up!

Edited March 24, 2020 by GinBoy2

[Hank Gunn]

1 hour ago, moldresistant said:

FEIE is only up to 100k though

I believe it’s actually a little more than that and typically rises every year.

And as I and others have said, do you really think this guy is making, or will make, over $100k per year?

[GinBoy2]

On 3/24/2020 at 12:15 PM, Hank Gunn said:

I believe it’s actually a little more than that and typically rises every year.

And as I and others have said, do you really think this guy is making, or will make, over $100k per year?

I guess with total radio silence, nobody in their right minds believes he's making over $100K a year in Thailand.

 

So we're back to my basic premise that there is no underlying tax issue, and the the guy is just a dimwit numbnuts for giving up a first world passport, when for zero cost he could have had both!

[Hank Gunn]

5 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

On 3/25/2020 at 1:15 AM, Hank Gunn said:

I believe it’s actually a little more than that and typically rises every year.

And as I and others have said, do you really think this guy is making, or will make, over $100k per year?

I guess with total radio silence, nobody in their right minds believes he's making over $100K a year in Thailand.

 

So we're back to my basic premise that there is no underlying tax issue, and the the guy is just a dimwit numbnuts for giving up a first world passport, when for zero cost he could have had both!

Indeed, and as I have said in a couple of other posts on this thread, most of the criticism here has been directed, not at his gaining of Thai citizenship but at the totally needless renouncing of his US citizenship. Essentially he burned a bridge that he didn’t need to. But I guess the anti-American sentiment is so strong for so many on this forum that they’re unable to think in a critical, logical manner.

[ravip]

1 hour ago, Hank Gunn said:

Indeed, and as I have said in a couple of other posts on this thread, most of the criticism here has been directed, not at his gaining of Thai citizenship but at the totally needless renouncing of his US citizenship. Essentially he burned a bridge that he didn’t need to. But I guess the anti-American sentiment is so strong for so many on this forum that they’re unable to think in a critical, logical manner.

If you read through this forum quietly and with an open mind, you will observe it's not only anti-American, but also anti-Thailand too. Can anyone say that the 'racism' factor is low on the TVF? If so, he/she is very sadly and pathetically biased.

With the advancement of age, boredom and a lack of choices in life, this pathetic condition is unavoidable...IMHO

Edit

Thai is the best nationality there is!" Former American pays through the nose to renounce US citizenship

Well... that is HIS choise. Why castigate him? No one,absolutelyno one has the right to judge him, surely?

Edited March 27, 2020 by ravip

[Dogmatix]

 

His younger sister Fongchan Suksaneh was luckier than Udom as she was born in Thailand and was able to claim Thai nationality several years ago under the 2008 amendment to the Nationality Act that partially restored the right to Thai nationality to those born in Thailand to alien parents who are not both permanent residents under certain circumstances. But there is a cut off date (1992 I think) and it is discretionary. Fongchan is now a lawyer.  So her Thai citizenship was extremely useful to her in opening up a restricted profession.

 

Congratulations to Udom. He was bummed out about being rejected for Thai nationality over 10 years ago but he must have improved his profile and got qualified. I think he was too young before and didn't have much work record to show.  I am not sure why he would bother to spend B70k to renounce his US nationality.  He doesn't look like he earns enough to have to pay US tax.  I hope he got US passports for his kids before he did it but probably not.

Edited March 27, 2020 by Dogmatix

[Hanuman2547]

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2020 at 12:30 AM, Dogmatix said:

 

His younger sister Fongchan Suksaneh was luckier than Udom as she was born in Thailand and was able to claim Thai nationality several years ago under the 2008 amendment to the Nationality Act that partially restored the right to Thai nationality to those born in Thailand to alien parents who are not both permanent residents under certain circumstances. But there is a cut off date (1992 I think) and it is discretionary. Fongchan is now a lawyer.  So her Thai citizenship was extremely useful to her in opening up a restricted profession.

 

Congratulations to Udom. He was bummed out about being rejected for Thai nationality over 10 years ago but he must have improved his profile and got qualified. I think he was too young before and didn't have much work record to show.  I am not sure why he would bother to spend B70k to renounce his US nationality.  He doesn't look like he earns enough to have to pay US tax.  I hope he got US passports for his kids before he did it but probably not.

Hopefully being a lawyer she is a bit smarter than her older brother and kept her US citizenship and keeps her US passport valid.  Doesn't have to use the passport except every 10 years when she goes to renew it.  

[gk10002000]

On 3/26/2020 at 3:53 PM, GinBoy2 said:

I guess with total radio silence, nobody in their right minds believes he's making over $100K a year in Thailand.

 

So we're back to my basic premise that there is no underlying tax issue, and the the guy is just a dimwit numbnuts for giving up a first world passport, when for zero cost he could have had both!

I think there was an issue with him having to pay into USA social security.  I do not see any social security type agreement between the USA and Thailand, so even though his earned income exclusion if he qualifies for it, may exclude him from paying Federal Income tax, he may have been liable as a US citizen to pay Social security taxes.

[Hank Gunn]

On 3/27/2020 at 9:33 AM, ravip said:

On 3/27/2020 at 8:53 AM, Hank Gunn said:

Indeed, and as I have said in a couple of other posts on this thread, most of the criticism here has been directed, not at his gaining of Thai citizenship but at the totally needless renouncing of his US citizenship. Essentially he burned a bridge that he didn’t need to. But I guess the anti-American sentiment is so strong for so many on this forum that they’re unable to think in a critical, logical manner.

If you read through this forum quietly and with an open mind, you will observe it's not only anti-American, but also anti-Thailand too. Can anyone say that the 'racism' factor is low on the TVF? If so, he/she is very sadly and pathetically biased.

With the advancement of age, boredom and a lack of choices in life, this pathetic condition is unavoidable...IMHO

Edit

Thai is the best nationality there is!" Former American pays through the nose to renounce US citizenship

Well... that is HIS choise. Why castigate him? No one,absolutelyno one has the right to judge him, surely?

Okay, this is my last post on this topic, as I'm quite low energy fighting an illness and am tired of people talking around a very valid criticism of this man's decision. First, bringing up criticisms of Thailand as a rebuttal to my claim is pure deflection. This is a Thai based forum after all, and if there is a topic about the health minister (who has no background in medicine or public health policy) blathering nonsense, a government suppressing the will of its people while employing a convicted drug-dealer, or... (you get the point) of course there's going to critical comments about Thailand. What I'm referring to are posts that use any excuse to go off topic in order to bash something about America (probably because of the preponderance of non-Americans expats here but who knows). This runs the gamut from spelling, and language usage to historical references that have nothing to do with the topic at hand.

 

With regards to the person referenced in the OP, I will repeat my self one last time. He burned a bridge that didn't need to be burned. Simple as that. As for taxes, FBAR, etc. I've already addressed those and as I said am too tired to repeat myself. I'll just say, as someone with two "foreign" bank accounts here in Thailand, it takes me all of 5 min. to fill out the FBAR form each year when I do my taxes.

 

As for "castigating" this guy, he rightfully deserves any criticisms for a really stupid move (again, burning a bridge that didn't need to be burned). If he didn't want the attention for this, then he shouldn't have: 1) done a newspaper interview claiming "...I believe that Thai nationality is the best to have in the world"; and 2)  do an interview here (Nation Media/TVF) and contribute posts to this topic. In other words, if you publish your opinion, expect others to respond or rebut that opinion.

[Gabriel1]

Good decision.  By USA law, to renounce one's citizenship one must have completed all tax requirements.  He is now out of those obligations. Since he was born it the USA his birth certificate legally binds him to all USA law and liabilities unless he opts out of citizenship legally. Keep in mind the USA is the only country on the globe that follows their citizens relative to taxation.  

 

My opinion, if I had the choice, I would not want citizenship in either of the two countries.  However, the fellow seem to be happy and one can not for anything more than that.  Good luck to him.

 

Seems like a lot of people dissing the guy, and they are living in Thailand.  Maybe the Thai government should throught them out, and end their unhappiness.