Ex-Pats targeted on Sky Train

[DaLa]

A few years ago a minister in Thailand brought up the subject of dual / gouge pricing for ex-pats. Well that fell on deaf ears.

 

I’ve been here 12 years and using the MRT for the last 7 of those. I’m 70 and took advantage of the ‘senior’ ticket rate…. until last week.

New rule was pointed out to me at the ticket counter… Thai only.

 

Emailed MRT and they confirmed this in a reply. Won’t break the bank but I’m starting to think I need to create a rule here that’s in my favour.

Regardless I hope me and the other 5 ex-pats in Nothingtodo-a-bhuri hit their bottom line hard by deserting the service.

[John Drake]

I guess the MRT must be different from the BTS. I haven't ridden on either for several years now. But I remember when I hit Thai retirement age and went and asked for the senior pass on the BTS. Supplied them with ID, visa, and work permit. No good. Not Thai. Didn't have an idea that I could have used one on the MRT--apparently until last week.

[Tropicalevo]

For what it is worth, you can still get into theme parks, water parks, Disney thingies etc free or reduced rates.

Friend of mine is just into her 60's and she has just found water parks.

Now she drags her husband around Thailand to any that she can find.

[Mike Lister]

This, "only for Thai" line has its limits, not providing the same discount to all old age people is over the line for me, it's just not in good faith. What next, over age 65 years tax deduction of 190k is only for Thai also! Very very possibly.

[DaLa]

48 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

For what it is worth, you can still get into theme parks, water parks, Disney thingies etc free or reduced rates.

Friend of mine is just into her 60's and she has just found water parks.

Now she drags her husband around Thailand to any that she can find.

I can't afford to travel to the theme parks any longer though.

[Yagoda]

What an overreaction to a price difference of probably 25 cents.

 

I only do the senior citizen gig when its important...like heading to the head of the line or getting in for free.

 

I dont even ID as a senior. When folks ask me if I want the discount, I tell them I am only 50 but had a rough time last night

[Lorry]

On 7/20/2024 at 4:57 PM, Mike Lister said:

This, "only for Thai" line has its limits, not providing the same discount to all old age people is over the line for me, it's just not in good faith. What next, over age 65 years tax deduction of 190k is only for Thai also! Very very possibly.

You remember (covid) vaccines for Thais only?

I can't think of anything much more disgusting than this. 

Thais found it obvious and quite ok.

It told people a lot about Thais. But those who live here don't want to acknowledge how hostile their environment is.

 

 BTW quite a few farang have gotten those 190k

[marin]

4 minutes ago, Lorry said:

You remember (covid) vaccines for Thais only?

I had 3 covid injections all free and provided by the government. 3 different locations in reality.

[Lorry]

2 minutes ago, marin said:

I had 3 covid injections all free and provided by the government. 3 different locations in reality.

For heavens sake, I know later foreigners could get them, too.

And some places always vaccinated foreigners. 

I even know a rich farang who used his connections to get one of the first (free) vaccines,  reserved for the slum dwellers of Khlong Toey 

 

Doesn't change anything. 

[grain]

2 minutes ago, marin said:

I had 3 covid injections all free and provided by the government. 3 different locations in reality.

That came later, and only after Thailand received huge quantities of vaccines donated by OUR governments. In the early days of vaccine availability in Thailand it was Thais only. I'm the sole farang in our village and when the poo yai baan announced over the loudspeakers that they would soon be vaccinating and everybody should go and put their names down now, my Thai wife went and put her name down and she asked if she could put my name down too, but the poo yai baan said the vaccines were for Thais only and I can contact my embassy. I thought that was taking meanness to an absurd degree because if the whole idea of vaccinating everyone in an area was to curb the spread of a deadly pandemic, then leaving one person unvaccinated because of his race is madness and puts the entire community at risk.

[Baht Simpson]

14 minutes ago, marin said:

I had 3 covid injections all free and provided by the government.

Same. And a nice smile from my injector. 🙂 

[Lorry]

18 minutes ago, grain said:

I thought that was taking meanness to an absurd degree

Exactly.

[JeffersLos]

It's not more expensive for foreigners, it's cheaper for Thais! 

[Presnock]

On 7/31/2024 at 4:44 PM, marin said:

I had 3 covid injections all free and provided by the government. 3 different locations in reality.

WEll speaking for myself only of course - I wasn't able to get a vaccine if I wanted it until the US donated for free for all expats, this of course months after within the US all were given free shots.  As for the 2nd and 3rd shot, I had to pay for those.  My daughter got a free shot at school but subsequent were paid for by me.  Yeah I could have gotten free Chinese shots at the beginning but not sure if anyone noticed, but the doctors and nurses even though they had the Chinese shots, took the freebie US vaccines first.

[Luuk Chaai]

On 7/31/2024 at 4:44 PM, marin said:

I had 3 covid injections all free and provided by the government. 3 different locations in reality.

 

some people like playing Russian Roulette

[Srikcir]

On 7/20/2024 at 4:52 PM, Tropicalevo said:

she drags her husband around Thailand to any that she can find.

Must visit Disney's Typhoon Lagoon in Orlando, Florida.

Edited August 1 by Srikcir
msp

[soalbundy]

The OP has a point, if we are expected to pay tax then all these price disparitys should be withdrawn. ''No taxation without representation" can't be expected but some leveling up must take place.

[rocketboy2]

On 7/31/2024 at 4:50 PM, Lorry said:

For heavens sake, I know later foreigners could get them, too.

And some places always vaccinated foreigners. 

I even know a rich farang who used his connections to get one of the first (free) vaccines,  reserved for the slum dwellers of Khlong Toey 

 

Doesn't change anything. 

 

They showed there true colors straight out the gate. 

Only negative press changed it.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 2 by rocketboy2

[nobodysfriend]

On 7/20/2024 at 4:39 PM, DaLa said:

…. until last week.

 

Xenophobia creeps slowly ...

[Presnock]

19 minutes ago, rocketboy2 said:

 

They showed there true colors straight out the gate. 

Only negative press changed it.

 

 

 

 

Yeah maybe if I travelled down her to BKK I might have gotten a shot earlier as it took a while to get up to CM.  Eventually got the COVID anyway, only had a slight sore throat for 2 days like our daughter but wife did have to be hospitalized for a week.  Lucky we bought COVID insurance almost for free but saved us money eventually.

[jippytum]

I have no objection to prices being cheaper for Thais.

I do think its unfair that recent immigration changes benifit almost every short term tourist while the hassle and expense for long term retirees is worse in comparison. 

[ricklev]

On 7/20/2024 at 4:39 PM, DaLa said:

A few years ago a minister in Thailand brought up the subject of dual / gouge pricing for ex-pats. Well that fell on deaf ears.

 

I’ve been here 12 years and using the MRT for the last 7 of those. I’m 70 and took advantage of the ‘senior’ ticket rate…. until last week.

New rule was pointed out to me at the ticket counter… Thai only.

 

Emailed MRT and they confirmed this in a reply. Won’t break the bank but I’m starting to think I need to create a rule here that’s in my favour.

Regardless I hope me and the other 5 ex-pats in Nothingtodo-a-bhuri hit their bottom line hard by deserting the service.

I am curious, were you using the "Elder Card" or buying half price tokens at the ticket counter?  I am curious if they will not let me top up my "Elder Card" or if I will be grandfathered in for half price rides.  I ride the MRT to work and back four days a week so I save about 700 baht per month with the half price rides.  No big deal really but it is nice.  

[Bert got kinky]

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

The OP has a point, if we are expected to pay tax then all these price disparitys should be withdrawn. ''No taxation without representation" can't be expected but some leveling up must take place.

 

Has the OP been paying tax in Thailand, can't see any mention of that in his post.

 

 

[soalbundy]

2 minutes ago, Bert got kinky said:

 

Has the OP been paying tax in Thailand, can't see any mention of that in his post.

 

 

We pay tax on every purchase we make but at the end of this year we are expected to pay an income tax on money remitted to Thailand, even worse is the consideration that we may be taxed on any earnings made in our home countries.

[OneMoreFarang]

"Ex-Pats targeted on Sky Train"

 

What a stupid headline.

Nobody is targeting ex-pats.

If you want to be a group of targeted people, then call it old foreigners in Thailand who think they deserve a discount. 

I am an expat, and I am not targeted.

How much tax do you pay, or did you pay in Thailand? Do you think you deserve to get a discount? 

And are you so poor that you can't afford the very reasonable adult price for a ticket?

Stop whining!

 

 

 

[2baht]

56 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

 

Xenophobia creeps slowly ...

and then speeds up when they realise just how many farang there are to rip off!

[Bert got kinky]

10 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

We pay tax on every purchase we make but at the end of this year we are expected to pay an income tax on money remitted to Thailand, even worse is the consideration that we may be taxed on any earnings made in our home countries.

 

You pay tax on items that you purchase in every country you visit, yet no country offers confessions for this.

As for 'we are expected to pay an income tax on money remitted to Thailand', has the OP paid tax on any money remitted to Thailand?

I know many ex-pats in Thailand who have not paid tax.

 

 

[jayboy]

4 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

"Ex-Pats targeted on Sky Train"

 

What a stupid headline.

Nobody is targeting ex-pats.

If you want to be a group of targeted people, then call it old foreigners in Thailand who think they deserve a discount. 

I am an expat, and I am not targeted.

How much tax do you pay, or did you pay in Thailand? Do you think you deserve to get a discount? 

And are you so poor that you can't afford the very reasonable adult price for a ticket?

Stop whining!

 

 

 

 

It's an inappropriate headline but so is your response.

 

There is every reason to believe eligible resident foreigners should receive the same discount as their Thai equivalents.Everybody pays tax in Thailand and your reference to it is irrelevant.Nor is the matter of affordability of any relevance.Naturally foreigners would initially have to prove their residence status, but there are multiple ways this could be done - the pink card for example.

 

My own view is that there is no targeting of foreigners involved.It's just indifference.

[soalbundy]

5 minutes ago, Bert got kinky said:

 

You pay tax on items that you purchase in every country you visit, yet no country offers confessions for this.

As for 'we are expected to pay an income tax on money remitted to Thailand', has the OP paid tax on any money remitted to Thailand?

I know many ex-pats in Thailand who have not paid tax.

 

 

Not yet, you have until March 2025 to pay your tax debt for 2024, do keep up, it's now fact.

[NanLaew]

On 7/20/2024 at 4:39 PM, DaLa said:

A few years ago a minister in Thailand brought up the subject of dual / gouge pricing for ex-pats. Well that fell on deaf ears.

 

I’ve been here 12 years and using the MRT for the last 7 of those. I’m 70 and took advantage of the ‘senior’ ticket rate…. until last week.

New rule was pointed out to me at the ticket counter… Thai only.

 

Emailed MRT and they confirmed this in a reply. Won’t break the bank but I’m starting to think I need to create a rule here that’s in my favour.

Regardless I hope me and the other 5 ex-pats in Nothingtodo-a-bhuri hit their bottom line hard by deserting the service.

 

You are obviously not a Thai person, so don't you see this as being far more beneficial and superior to the MRT discount for locals?