Thai professor recommends raising taxes on non-married individuals

[transam]

This silly b*stard is more suitable as a professional plastic bottle collector down dirty sois.

We smile at this but in the UK they are talking of empty bedroom tax AND car park tax on your own property.

[PoorSucker]

There are already tax deductions you can make for wife, children and elderly parents if you file your tax return.

Obviously the professor don't make his own tax return.

[Scott]

For a professor, I would expect a proposal that is thought out better. If you have a child, do you pay lower taxes forever? Does the tax advantage stop at 18? When the child graduates? When the child leaves home?

If you have a child and they are killed, do you then pay higher taxes?

Governments routinely write tax laws as a part of overall goals, thus there are high taxes on alcohol and cigarettes.

[jackr]

I propose higher taxes for dimwit 'professors' and rich barstewards in general.

[chainarong]

The good professor has raised an interesting point , this is not new however , Australia virtually had a singles and married tax ,the way it was structured, up into the late sixties, all singles paid tax in those times, until it started to be fashionable to either stay single or have no children and also it hit the ballot boxes, when people were becoming enlightened and screwing their way out of the Victoria era, this suggestion should raise the shackles of all good citizens of Thailand ,as it is an inequity tax and the choice of being single or no children for whatever the reason, is the fundamental basic's of democracy, everyone needs to pay their way , however it needs to be structured with no favours or another story will be told at the ballot box.

[Credo]

The problem may not be a lack of young people, but, according to the article, too many old people. Not exactly the same problem.

[HeijoshinCool]

Terdsak.

Now there's a sexy name.

[Psych01]

Say it as you see it, Terdsak, think about it and then say it again. This idea is full of it.

[ggold]

So no to education, don't teach them to want to improve their lot better they stay dumb and settle down and have babies! Better yet, When will the PTP give the incentive to marry? I see a new populist scam on the horizon.

How about a 100:000 baht for each family's first baby to be born!

On another level, I know most people pay into a social security system, but how many Thai's actually pay tax on their income. Up country I don't know a single farmer that pays income tax!

[tingtongfarang]

mr terdsack is talking out his ass

[bangkapi]

The professor obviously didn't read the works of Malthus.

Promoting growth of population on a finite planet invites certain collapse and disaster.

This kind of short-sighted social engineering designed to keep the rich at the top of the ponzi scheme fractional reserve debt based currency system is doomed for failure.

[Jim walker]

Get all these Single woman down to Pattaya that will sort them out wont be single for long always plenty desperate people looking for mates in Pattaya get them Up the stick [ Pregnant ] then run back home and get their Tax papers in order and try for a Tax rebate for supplying future cheap labour for Thailand. And just double the tax on single Gays, problem solved.

[ginjag]

For a professor, I would expect a proposal that is thought out better. If you have a child, do you pay lower taxes forever? Does the tax advantage stop at 18? When the child graduates? When the child leaves home?

If you have a child and they are killed, do you then pay higher taxes?

Governments routinely write tax laws as a part of overall goals, thus there are high taxes on alcohol and cigarettes.

This is amazing, but not unusual for HMV is lacking something.

Sack/terd .

[ignis]

Professor recommends raising taxes on non-married individuals

YK will be sending the storm troopers round to the Prof's place if she find out about this...

Maybe or could it be made into some sort of HUB ?

[jaltsc]

"The Kingdom's low fertility rate of only 1.6 children per household could result in a lack of labor in the future,"

Yeah, that's the reason. Not that many of those fathering the children run off as soon as their girlfriend/wife feels sick in the morning and never pay for the upbringing or schooling of their offspring...And...If they do go to school, they graduate with no marketable labor skills.

A perfect example of the ineptitude of the the education system in Thailand is that this guy is actually referred to as "Professor". There are drunks sitting at the end of many bars who sound more educated than this "expert".

Edited September 6, 2013 by jaltsc

[hellodolly]

For a country who puts so much credence in what so called 'academics' say, they sure cannot half talk some crap. In most countries other than the ones at prestigious universities, 'academics' are generally thought of as people who could not cut the mustard it in the private sector, and went for the easy option.

In Thailand they literally have thousands of these academics who people actually seemingly listen to. I am not sure an academic from the Thai education system is much to right home about, although having said that, i suppose the majority of politicians attempted to come through the same Thai education system as well.

Gotta agree with you.

It is as I have always said show me an academician and I will show you some one with a dumb idea. There are the rare exceptions but their is a public relationship ban on them. They might make a collage or university look like they are an institution of learning.

[hellodolly]

Absolutely ridiculous!

What about the infertile?

Or those who are unable to find a mate?

The mental challenged, or physically incapable of married life?

This is not going to force anyone to marry, but it will be grossly unfair.

'Hey, will you marry me, we need the tax reduction.' ABSURD!

and the planet is already overpopulated.

Singapore is not overpopulated, Japan is not overpopulated, Australia is not overpopulated, Italy is not overpopulated and THAILAND is not overpopulated. Wake up call. .....

Any country with people starving to death and living in the streets is over populated.

[hellodolly]

mr terdsack is talking out his ass

Not really but if he did it would be an improvement.

[hellodolly]

Professor recommends raising taxes on non-married individuals

YK will be sending the storm troopers round to the Prof's place if she find out about this...

Either that or get married herself.

I have to get out of here it is to fertile a field.

Edited September 6, 2013 by hellodolly

[Chrisswe]

This so called Thai Professor should go back to school for more realistic study !!!

[Mampara]

What a load of "hogwash"

[Katipo]

There are too many people in Thailand as it is. This is shortsighted solution to a problem that goes far beyond the scope of his thinking. Not least of all is the fact that Thailand needs to move away from be a labour orientated factory. Education and automation are the way of the future. Thailand needs to change the way it thinks.

In summary, this guy is an idiot.

I'll give you an example. Are there enough plumbers in Thailand? No. Do plumbers need a good education? Poop rolls downhill is about it, eh? Are they going to automate poop? No. It's still going to roll downhill. Thailand needs plumbers, electricians, bricklayers, carpenters, gardeners, landscapers, road builders ..... and on and on and on. None of these trades will be automated and none will benefit from a marketing MA from NakonNowhere Univ.

You completely missed the point of my post. Yes, of course all those things will be needed, I never said they would. My point is that increasing the population is not the answer to sustainable economic growth. Thailand cannot achieve ‘developed’ status by being a factory of the ‘first world’.

What Thailand does need is a more educated population (and education doesn’t just come from Universities, it can also come from technical colleges and apprenticeships). Thailand needs to think quality of population, not quantity.

[ongchart]

Singles and no-child tax may not be the best idea to raise fertility but the concerns about an aging population is valid. One reason for Japan's current economic problems is that there is such a high proportion of aged that this strains the social care infrasteucture and related costs.

Singapore, Korea, and many other developed nations have the same problem. Economies can maintain their dynamism only with a sufficiently youthful workforce. Of course, labor import is one of the solutions but then too many foreigners will cause the social fabric and culture to be under tremendous stress. Singapore is a good case study. Japan refused rejected immigration and landed in deep trouble.

[Misterwhisper]

Where did he buy his degree? Thailand is one of the most densely populated countries by land area on earth. Yes, the solution to the good professor's conundrum surely must be to have even more children - even if you cannot really afford them.

[Jim walker]

He might be a wonderfully educated professor but I am sure many uneducated people can make a far better educated judgement than he could regard raising tax and rising family and what are the priorities in life.

[h5kaf]

"Many families, according to Terdsak, are choosing to have only one child because of the increasing cost of intuitions, hospitality and food."

I am fascinated to understand the "cost of intuitions". An intuition is defined as 'to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning'; on this basis many of the posts on this forum are intuitive i.e no conscious reasoning involved. It is well known that as alcoholic refreshment is increased so conscious reasoning diminishes, and I suppose intuition takes over, in this case the cost of alcohol is a direct increasing cost of intuition.

Do you think this is what Terdsak meant?

[drdoom6996]

Just another idiot that wants a headline. Stupidity is rampant in the LOS.

[ABCer]

As usual Thailand is going against the logic. Nothing new, just another demonstration of Thainess.

If the Gov't is concerned about hardships experienced by Families (and we are told at every corner and bus stop that Thainess = Family) the correct way would be to lower taxes for Families with dependents.

Unfortunately such a move would actually reduce the collections (less in the till = less to divide). Totally unacceptable for the cookie jar holders.

Hence the Thai solution - raise taxes for singles. Brilliant!

Luckily I do not care. Assuming Farang position...

[chinostar]

Where did this "professor" graduated? Infantile proposal and totally in contrast with the 'free' Thai spirit, TIT.

[Angeledge777]

So a family earning 6000 baht per months should have more kids if they want to avoid this tax. Easy said by a greedy Rangsit professor who probably earn a 5 digit salary monthly. Selfishness will definitely kill this country.