Where To Pay Tax? How Much?

[Briandajew]

This is a weird one, I cannot find any really accurate info not even any hard or fast rules from my employer.

I am UK citizen, non resident for over 10 years. I live in Thailand, on a Thai marriage extension and have been here about 10 years.

I have been approached by a former employer - They are based in the UK. They want me to work for them for a period of 6 months or if all goes well maybe even years.

Here is where it gets complicated, they want me to work for them in China, (The way it is worded is a bit underhand really as I will be travelling on an F Visa, so without a work permit) Also I will leave China after approximately 3 months and return to Thailand, get a new visa then back to China for 3 months.)

The last part of the complication is they want to use their head office to pay me into my Thai bank - The head office is in Singapore, and payment is in US Dollars.

It looks like they think they need me to pay Singapore taxes, me I am not sure - anyone here with any experiences that might help me out.

I don't mind paying Sing Tax as it is 15%, and I know Thailand has a tax treaty with Singapore so I shouldn't get taxed twice. China on the other hand does not, and I guess in a period of 12 months I will be well over the 180 day tax rule - HEADACHE!!!

[whybother]

Open a Singapore bank account. Avoid the possible "working in Thailand" issue.

[topt]

If you are on an F type visa then you are only visiting and no reason for you to pay any Chinese taxes.

Agree with whybother. If you structure it properly then perhaps no reason to pay any taxes.

I am also on an F type visa but mine is a 2 year multi entry (I think only available from UK) - but each entry is only a maximum of 30 days - are you sure you can get 90 days as has changed if so?

You do not say where you will be working but I am in Guangzhou so if you need any help/advice let me know.

[Briandajew]

Open a Singapore bank account. Avoid the possible "working in Thailand" issue.

This is probably not an option as I will never be going to Singapore nor will I have a Singapore work permit.

[Stradavarius37]

Your job is too complicated - have a beer, relax, and find a more peaceful one.

[Briandajew]

If you are on an F type visa then you are only visiting and no reason for you to pay any Chinese taxes.

Agree with whybother. If you structure it properly then perhaps no reason to pay any taxes.

I am also on an F type visa but mine is a 2 year multi entry (I think only available from UK) - but each entry is only a maximum of 30 days - are you sure you can get 90 days as has changed if so?

You do not say where you will be working but I am in Guangzhou so if you need any help/advice let me know.

I worked 10 years ago in Shanghai, always on an F visa for a British Company, I had multiple entry F visas for 12 months with absolutely no limit of stay. My earlier visas were the old stamped visas, double entry 30 day limit. After a year or so the visas were relaxed to the point that me and my entire family (Wife AND 3 month old son) were travelling and staying in China on 12 month F visas with no limit on the length of stay - However, we sort of deliberately withheld this from my employer, which afforded me to avoid staying more than 180 days and got me and the family a run to HK every six months.

I have heard that it is possible to get a 90 day stay, but not usual. The other thing I recall was being able to enter China on a 30 day visa then you could go to the Public Security bureau and have this extended by another 30 days, but something reminds me that they might actually cancel the remaining entries on the original visa...it has been such a long time, but I have found Shanghai Visas in my older passports where they have "00" for the number of entries. Thanks for the info though, appreciated.

[Briandajew]

Your job is too complicated - have a beer, relax, and find a more peaceful one.

This is just the application to get the permits, visas, contracts, and all the other stuff to get me there - The real shit seems to be waiting for me in the factory! (I know for a fact that no one else wants this, they have UK engineers, Singaporean engineers, Chinese engineers - no one wants to touch this, so it does sound like a few months of fun if nothing else) I used to do the same sort of thing back in 1997-2004, it might be complicated but there is never a dull day.

[whybother]

Open a Singapore bank account. Avoid the possible "working in Thailand" issue.

This is probably not an option as I will never be going to Singapore nor will I have a Singapore work permit.

ANZ bank has a representative office in Bangkok for their Singapore office. I'm sure there are other banks that have that too.

[Stradavarius37]

Your job is too complicated - have a beer, relax, and find a more peaceful one.

This is just the application to get the permits, visas, contracts, and all the other stuff to get me there - The real shit seems to be waiting for me in the factory! (I know for a fact that no one else wants this, they have UK engineers, Singaporean engineers, Chinese engineers - no one wants to touch this, so it does sound like a few months of fun if nothing else) I used to do the same sort of thing back in 1997-2004, it might be complicated but there is never a dull day.

No one else wants to touch it - hence - Your job is too complicated - have a beer, relax, and find a more peaceful one.