Make Thailand a "hub" for digital nomads, suggests influential Thai politician

[Raphus]

4 minutes ago, Blumpie said:

Well it's official.

These news releases are for the slack-jawed yokels to parouse (sic) over while eating their breakfast riddles. 

I can remember when it was a thing.  It was long ago.  

You wouldn't want them anyways - they are not high paying tourists.  

How do you know people that work online are not earning good incomes ?
I think you are quite misled as to the extent of online workers these days. Especially with Covid, lots of companies are encouraging people to work at home remotely. What stops someone being in another country ? The internet is borderless.

[Dart12]

1 minute ago, Andrew65 said:

Lots of office workers in the UK saying how great it is to be working from home, probably understandably.

However, if one works from home, it doesn't really matter to the company if that home's in the UK or India??!????

While they no longer want to pay for your office space, computer, and amenities...those companies do NOT want you too far off that they can't call you into a central place for in person meetings at their beck and call.  The companies want to squeeze you, not please you with the benefits of being self employed working from home.
 

[BritManToo]

Just now, Raphus said:

How do you know people that work online are not earning good incomes ?

I assume people driving smoky 20 year old Honda waves, and living in fan rooms don't have much money.

Never met one driving an expensive car or proper motorcycle and living in a nice house yet.

[DrTuner]

6 minutes ago, heist said:

Already have with no problems. 

Income from working online from Thailand, without work permit? Curious, what did they say?

Edited October 14, 2020 by DrTuner

[heist]

3 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Income from working online from Thailand, without work permit? Curious, what did they say?

I file a joint tax return with my wife who is a government officer. I've been asked what I do before and I'm always straight forward with everyone, including immigration. Nobody cares as my income comes from overseas clients. 

Edited October 14, 2020 by heist

[khunPer]

Finally a good and sensible suggestion...????

[DrTuner]

Just now, heist said:

I file a joint tax return with my wife who is a government officer. They ask what I do and I'm always straight forward with them. They don't care as my income comes from overseas clients. 

Right, as I mentioned, they might not care, as long as you pay the piper. It's not their turf - it's the Ministry of Labour's. So far they haven't started a witchhunt for nomads, but given the direction things have been moving, it's not out of question they eventually will.

[Dart12]

1 minute ago, heist said:

I file a joint tax return with my wife who is a government officer. They ask what I do and I'm always straight forward with them. They don't care as my income comes from overseas clients. 

What is your benefit for filing in Thailand?  I assume you are also taxed where you are incorporated, or work for, too?

[LivinLOS]

One thing the tax avoiding nomads dont always understand is, this can open thier employers up to a liability and the creation of a legal permanent establishment in the country of the worker. Something that can be a huge implication for multi nationals. 

 

https://www.ft.com/content/1650df6e-987a-46dc-b205-d588f23e699f

 

 

[heist]

6 minutes ago, Dart12 said:

What is your benefit for filing in Thailand?  I assume you are also taxed where you are incorporated, or work for, too?

My home country has a tax treaty with Thailand. If I was living in my home country I'd do it there. While I'm living in Thailand I'm benefiting from government services such as road upkeep so I'd rather pay tax where I live. 

I fill out tax forms for the companies I work for stating I pay tax in Thailand so getting them to withhold it is an option but I'd rather pay it here for the reason listed above. 

(As an example, if you're an American company I fill out a W8-BEN instead of a W9)

Edited October 14, 2020 by heist

[DrTuner]

1 minute ago, LivinLOS said:

One thing the tax avoiding nomads dont always understand is, this can open thier employers up to a liability and the creation of a legal permanent establishment in the country of the worker. Something that can be a huge implication for multi nationals. 

 

https://www.ft.com/content/1650df6e-987a-46dc-b205-d588f23e699f

That's a good point and often very carefully considered be decent tax lawyers. For Thailand it's a bid of bad news, since execs residing in Thailand might fulfill the "location where company is controlled from" often used to determine tax residency.

[Max69xl]

"For the Thai economy, they would spend plenty of money."

Really? That must be the joke of the week. 

[TEFLKrabi]

Why not. It one of the things that would bring people here and legalise many people already here. Don’t be so negative everyone.

[LivinLOS]

4 hours ago, CraigInBangkok said:

It does seem quite ridiculous to me, that on a marriage visa, I am eligible for a work permit but cant get one for freelancing.

There is logic though. 

 

Thailand is less concerned with income tax than it is the creation of domestic industry and investment and knowledge transfer. This is why the need to incorporate, have a registered office, employ and train thais etc has always been a large part of the requirements to enable the legal engagement per non Thai employee.. 

It is loosening up, the BOI and smart visas etc have much less of this but that is the historical nature of the system. 

[heist]

13 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Right, as I mentioned, they might not care, as long as you pay the piper. It's not their turf - it's the Ministry of Labour's. So far they haven't started a witchhunt for nomads, but given the direction things have been moving, it's not out of question they eventually will.

We'll have to agree to disagree as I've never experienced any pushback at any level but if they do, I'll give you a smile and a thumbs up for the cameras as I'm hauled off to a 3x3 cell. 

[Polaky]

6 hours ago, Henryford said:

I thought they wanted to get rid of all the dossers living on 20,000 baht a month.

Wait up a bit, that's a nit rich! ????

[LivinLOS]

11 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

That's a good point and often very carefully considered be decent tax lawyers. For Thailand it's a bid of bad news, since execs residing in Thailand might fulfill the "location where company is controlled from" often used to determine tax residency.

While IANAL this is what my business does, I work in the field of cross border labour supply, cross border payrolling, and handling (primarily lowering :)) the payroll income tax components while staying correctly in the law for each jurisdiction. 

If you are supplying British workers to a Dutch company for a Luxembourg project where they sleep each night in Germany theres a lot of variables to determine who pays what where. 

[Thingamabob]

7 hours ago, TooBigToFit said:

It's an old idea. Korn is a supporter of the regime. I don't listen to him. If he were really for what he says, he would be for freedom of speech as a lot of online stuff is related to that. He supports keeping the people down.

Not true.

[Caldera]

One of the saner "hub" proposals I've seen. Thailand IS popular with digital nomads, or used to before staying for long periods of time on tourist visas became too much of a hassle. That's something Thailand could cash in on, if done right. What are the chances though?

[Asernume]

It's a great idea as long as it is not restricted to the very wealthy (who would chose to stay in Singapore over Thailand anyway).

[Morty T]

7 hours ago, JonnyF said:

The trouble with opening up for all these previously undesirable "types" is that most people are aware that as soon as Thailand is doing well again the hubris will return, goalposts will move and they will be made unwelcome again.

 

You can't just turn on the tap when you need people and turn it off again when you don't. People learn from that and lose interest in the place.

 

That is the gist of the problem, its well known that whatever Thailand offers today, it will be changed tomorrow. Untrustworthy, unreliable and not dependable. 

[SiSePuede419]

Digital Nomad = Bitcoin miner with a highschool degree ????

[P100]

Another naive and ridicilous idea. As much as Thailand discourages foreigners from staying in the country, working visa issues, many limitations, many conditions, a Thai society that dislikes foreigners, a political leadership that makes xenophobic public statements, ever changing rules, who do they expect to come?

 

All suggestions show how Thais believe foreigners to be. It says much about Thais themselves! They do not actually know anything about likes and needs of foreigners because they never cared about. But they think they know! They still believe their country is wonderful and all rich foreigners line up to come and get elite visas and golf club memberships.

 

Thais live obivously still on a different planet.Even the leaders.

[Madeline Thompson]

Brilliant idea - but has to be a much cleaner system of making

this idea viable than the STV one or any of the other god-forsaken

schemes the current govenring body of this country dreams up. The

STV one is unworkable, a half-million baht assurance for a two-month

visa which calls for a 14-day quarantine off the top.  Really!!! Beyond stupid!!

[mrmrmred]

I touted home working to T**E corporation a few years ago, I was laughed out the office by CxO.  Stupid management are still in the 1950’s ... it will never change, to do so would to loose face... hence surrounded by people on facebook or line chat for 12 hours a day and as productive as road kill...

[P100]

You want long stayers? You had them for decades. Yet you still failed to do any special program for retirees. One year visas only? 90days reportings? Lots of addotional obstacles? No any friendly but all hostile rules that make life in Thailand more and more difficult instead of easy.

 

Old people are a source of income too. They need care givers, health service suppliers and they are consumers. Why no any such program still ? Yes I know why: Thais feel bad to have to give service and care to lower races, such as farangs.

 

Could you imagine for the elderly nice homes near beautiful beaches, clean and safe, friendly Thais who care? However, caregiver and nurse are jobs for Filipinos, probably not for Thais.

Edited October 14, 2020 by P100

[mok199]

Please .....make it stop!!!!!!

[thailandheron]

Shows how much he knows about the country. Thailand is already the hub for digital nomads

[Thaiophil]

Simplest solution is just to abolish the age restriction on the O-A visa and allow working FROM Thailand as opposed to in Thailand. Financial requirements and quarantine will keep out the riffraff????

[fdsa]

Many digital nomads I know relocated from Thailand since it started to deny tourist visa after 4 visas in a row (the infamous "red stamp"). It will not become a "hub" in the nearest years with those laws.