Thailand's selfish super-rich

[expat888]

I wish the Singha corporation would give back and stop going up on their beer.

they just had a massive hit in payroll costs as entry level workers went to Bt. 300, everyone else had to get similar raises to keep the 'pecking' order correct.

That analysis doesn't float. They also make Leo and Leo prices didn't go up.

[rametindallas]

I wish the Singha corporation would give back and stop going up on their beer.

they just had a massive hit in payroll costs as entry level workers went to Bt. 300, everyone else had to get similar raises to keep the 'pecking' order correct.

That analysis doesn't float. They also make Leo and Leo prices didn't go up.

I suggest you all switch to Leo, then. In a free economy, businesses charge what the market will bear. Obviously Singha Corp. thinks people will pay a premium for a premium product. As long as there is a level playing field and there is competition, it's not my business if someone raises their prices. I'll still drink Bia Sing over Leo any day.

[Fookhaht]

There is a Thai word for philanthropy, but to my wifes' knowledge, she can not remember any rich family ever donating or leaving large sums to a cause.

Similarly the Chinese, they also never donate.

Greed and more greed......and there's never enough!

Is there any reason that she should know about these donations? Do Thailand's rich report their financial activity to her? Somehow I doubt it.

Better yet, is there any reason she should NOT know about these donations?

Do you have any idea of the efficiency of the "grapevine" in Thailand for spreading news and gossip?

When big money gets dumped on a charity or cause in Asia: #1) the Asian donors love the adulation and make sure their names get connected to the act, (engraved in granite, name in the newspaper, television news spot, etc.) and #2) anyone connected with the benefits of the donation (monks, school teachers, etc.) all know where it came from.

Making anonymous donations (and keeping it anonymous) is pretty much in the realm of the West.

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MMarlow, I notice that from a quick review of your posts, you've built most of your post-count by simply naysaying other posters. Why don't you try contributing something constructive, rather than simply tearing down others' posts and credibility? It would be a refreshing change and would help add a positive atmosphere to TV rather than always contentious.

Edited April 17, 2014 by Fookhaht

[wolfmanjack]

I wish the Singha corporation would give back and stop going up on their beer.

they just had a massive hit in payroll costs as entry level workers went to Bt. 300, everyone else had to get similar raises to keep the 'pecking' order correct.

That analysis doesn't float. They also make Leo and Leo prices didn't go up.

Leo went from 50 baht to 55 baht in most of the stores around me. In only 1 store it went from 50 to 53 baht instead. This was just within the last few months. In the same time frame Tiger beer went from 58 baht down to 55 baht.

[alphaflight]

This article is a quite a contradiction to the one which states how generous Thai's are as Asia's top tippers!

Edited April 17, 2014 by alphaflight

[VocalNeal]

Many of the Thai super rich are second and third generation heirs and they intend hanging onto their inherited wealth. No easy come easy go for them.

If this is true then they are only custodians of the wealth, to be passed on to the next generation. A concept I can entirely understand.

[Thai at Heart]

Inheritance tax anyone?

Doesn't work and technically double taxes people. If someone has already paid income tax, their money is theirs to do as they wish. Countries such as the USA who impose such estate taxes have seen only the moderately wealthy penalized as the super rich ail always be able to pay for experts to find tax loopholes and other legal methods to minimize or avoid the tax due.

Technically, a lot of.money flushes around in Thailand completely untaxed . land tax for sure and inheritance tax maybe would flush it out.

[Pimay1]

I wish the Singha corporation would give back and stop going up on their beer.

they just had a massive hit in payroll costs as entry level workers went to Bt. 300, everyone else had to get similar raises to keep the 'pecking' order correct.

That analysis doesn't float. They also make Leo and Leo prices didn't go up.

Maybe not where you live but Leo went from 50 to 55 Baht here.

[expat888]

I wish the Singha corporation would give back and stop going up on their beer.

they just had a massive hit in payroll costs as entry level workers went to Bt. 300, everyone else had to get similar raises to keep the 'pecking' order correct.

That analysis doesn't float. They also make Leo and Leo prices didn't go up.

I suggest you all switch to Leo, then. In a free economy, businesses charge what the market will bear. Obviously Singha Corp. thinks people will pay a premium for a premium product. As long as there is a level playing field and there is competition, it's not my business if someone raises their prices. I'll still drink Bia Sing over Leo any day.

Again, your analysis doesn't float. It's not a level playing field. Singha charges what they do because of a lack of competition. Thailand helps the rich corp Singha by taxing the hell out of imported beer.

[DrTuner]

Yeah, they ought to throw a bone from time to time to soothe the mob.

[expat888]

I wish the Singha corporation would give back and stop going up on their beer.

they just had a massive hit in payroll costs as entry level workers went to Bt. 300, everyone else had to get similar raises to keep the 'pecking' order correct.

That analysis doesn't float. They also make Leo and Leo prices didn't go up.

Maybe not where you live but Leo went from 50 to 55 Baht here.

I can still buy a single Leo for 50 baht.

[Pimay1]

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Land Tax would be a better way to tackle the problem.

Land tax is an essential need in Thailand, but first you have to cure the corruption and skim problem.

Land tax is the equivalent of saying no one owns their land they just rent it from the government and is wrong. There are many people that live off of their land and do not make enough money to pay tax on it. There are many that have lived on land for generations then lost it to the revenue department for not being able to afford paying the inflated taxes. Even if you set it up where you pay taxes on the purchase price instead of an ever increasing valuation basis many people lose their jobs then their homes even if the home is paid off.

An idle land tax would be more acceptable. If no one is living on it or using it to produce an income and the only reason for owning that land is holding it for investment purposes then I can see that.

I can also see a tax on second homes and property used for rentals etc.

Any land tax that takes a home away from someone or a farm that they need to live off of is wrong.

Agree. Idle land tax is a joke. My old girlfriend has four rai idle land and the yearly tax is 80 Baht.

[MGP]

This article is a quite a contradiction to the one which states how generous Thai's are as Asia's top tippers!

Thais, in general, are amongst the most generous people that I've ever met, but the article is talking about a super-rich minority, not about Thais in general.

[yourauntbob]

its there money, and they should be free to do what they would like with it. that being said, it does say a lot about Thailand that very few of the ultra rich are ever caught donating large sums of money to the poor. it has been my observation that the goal here is to be seen as possessing the most money to increase ones standing and stature. it is my belief that this goes back to the zero sum business practice that a good business deal has a winner and a loser. if you find yourself in a mutual beneficial business deal then you must be the loser.

final note, i agree with a few posters above about donations to large charities. it seems that many of the big name organizations are more about paying high salaries to their executives than actually helping their causes.

[Maphorogo1]

"There is an inherent selfishness in the concept that wealth should be kept within families"

Tell that to the monarchies around the world!!!

[yourauntbob]

they just had a massive hit in payroll costs as entry level workers went to Bt. 300, everyone else had to get similar raises to keep the 'pecking' order correct.

I wish the Singha corporation would give back and stop going up on their beer.

That analysis doesn't float. They also make Leo and Leo prices didn't go up.

Maybe not where you live but Leo went from 50 to 55 Baht here.

I can still buy a single Leo for 50 baht.

no such thing as a free lunch. increase the minimum wage simply means prices will sooner or later adjust to put the real amounts back to where they were before the wage increase.

a bit off topic, but am i the only one that thinks that is ultra expensive. for 50 baht ($1.70 USD) in the States I can buy a quality beer from the store.

[Evolare]

Well the charities they give their money to in the west are most of the time not very generous with the funds they are given. Corruption within the charities are insanely high. One i know of from my country are receiving about 50 million usd per year and the founders who come from lower income middle class families now have expensive condos in New York, Paris, Milan and Bangkok etc. and their charity is spending about 6-7 million us on operating costs of the charity the rest is...well unaccounted for! They stopped receiving public grants because of it but are still being given private funds to continue operation.

[rametindallas]

Maybe not where you live but Leo went from 50 to 55 Baht here.

they just had a massive hit in payroll costs as entry level workers went to Bt. 300, everyone else had to get similar raises to keep the 'pecking' order correct.

I wish the Singha corporation would give back and stop going up on their beer.

I can still buy a single Leo for 50 baht.

no such thing as a free lunch. increase the minimum wage simply means prices will sooner or later adjust to put the real amounts back to where they were before the wage increase.

a bit off topic, but am i the only one that thinks that is ultra expensive. for 50 baht ($1.70 USD) in the States I can buy a quality beer from the store.

It's the tax structure and it is, unlike the US, not based on alcohol content. Beer has the highest tax followed by wine and hard spirits have the lowest tax per volume. It doesn't make sense to me but TiT. (This is Thailand)

[cnxdefyer]

What about the Shin clan who absolutely love their country and country men and women, isn't their aim to do good for all ( of their own family ) ?

Wow, that didn't take long, 2 post to turn this into a "Shin clan" bashing, I wonder do you know that any of the "Shin clan" do or do not donate to any cause? and for that matter do you? As for myself I do such as world wild life fund, world vision, green peace,

I take it you are going to put me right on how much the Shins donate to charity and I don't mean the pure media events and publicity handouts but quietly in the background as is often the mark of a true philanthropist.

Excuse me....the Shin clan donates to the poor every election.

[Publicus]

There are many small and medium size organizations in Thailand to help both animals and human creatures.

A kind suggestion for you, super-rich Thai Visa farangs:

http://www.rakmaw.com/index.php?lay=show&ac=article&Ntype=24&Id=539542471 (menu in English on the right)

https://www.facebook.com/catroompantip

Your thinking and motivations are commendable and indeed worthy and I thank you for the links, but you are in the wrong forest if you think or believe the typical TVF poster is interested in charity, unless it's for the big corporations, the tea party organizations or various other right wingnut cases and causes such as the Obama birthers..

[GentlemanJim]

Thailand's selfish super-rich

But yesterday we were told Thailand's people are the best tippers in Asia. I am confused, did they mean fly tippers?

[Sayonarax]

Inheritance tax anyone?

Spoken like a true politician.

[Frank James]

The cold truth, straight from JC Himself:

To him that hath, shall be given. From him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath!

'Twas true then, true today, tomorrow, next week, any time. everywhere, World Without End, Amen.

If you and I were rich dicks, we'd probably be the same way. Alas, I'll never know.

[expat888]

no such thing as a free lunch. increase the minimum wage simply means prices will sooner or later adjust to put the real amounts back to where they were before the wage increase.

a bit off topic, but am i the only one that thinks that is ultra expensive. for 50 baht ($1.70 USD) in the States I can buy a quality beer from the store.

It's the tax structure and it is, unlike the US, not based on alcohol content. Beer has the highest tax followed by wine and hard spirits have the lowest tax per volume. It doesn't make sense to me but TiT. (This is Thailand)

For some reason you can never get my point or maybe you don't want to or unable to reason at that level.

Import taxes keep Singha beer high because they have no real competition. If ASEAN truly created cross border competition without the import taxes, you wouldn't see these beer prices.

[expat888]

Maybe not where you live but Leo went from 50 to 55 Baht here.

I can still buy a single Leo for 50 baht.

no such thing as a free lunch. increase the minimum wage simply means prices will sooner or later adjust to put the real amounts back to where they were before the wage increase.

a bit off topic, but am i the only one that thinks that is ultra expensive. for 50 baht ($1.70 USD) in the States I can buy a quality beer from the store.

Yes, I agree with you.

[The Deerhunter]

Give it to some useless charity that pays there CEO some stupid salary, no thanks.

If you are super-rich like Buffet & Gates you start your own charity foundation & run it on your own terms, That is what they are talking about, not you & me giving $30 a month to World Vision.

[arthurwait]

Everybody that I know in Thailand who are rich are ethnic Chinese. The higher up you go to the superrich you will find that they are 100% Chinese (they do not marry Thai). Over the years I have noticed that the Chinese / Thai have a unhealthy dislike of Thai people. Especially the older generation that can remember the discrimination they suffered when they first arrived to Thailand. Now the ethnic Chinese control Thailand. The ruling party controlled by Shin Family and the opposition controlled by Abhisit are Chinese families.

In recent years I see that this dislike has changed to hate. They look down on the Thai with contempt. Anything that is even slightly dark skinned is considered unclean, uneducated, stand back .... sort of attitude. The Thai have picked up on this and now we see the divide.

Under these circumstances can you see the rich in Thailand giving to the poor? I think not rather they will treat the poor Thais with the utmost cruelty

How is this racist garbage allowed ?

[arthurwait]

They made it, they can do what they want with it. Don't see anything wrong at all with providing financial safety for x amount of generations to come, only wish I had a huge win-fall coming my way!

Say that to Ferrari drivers, aged 26, who don't care about much, as they inherited everything.

Or Kids who kill 9 people while driving an unregistered vehicle and no drivers license due to being underage!

Again more propaganda.

[arthurwait]

There is a Thai word for philanthropy, but to my wifes' knowledge, she can not remember any rich family ever donating or leaving large sums to a cause.

Similarly the Chinese, they also never donate.

Greed and more greed......and there's never enough!

Is there any reason that she should know about these donations? Do Thailand's rich report their financial activity to her? Somehow I doubt it.

Create special tax for:

Shin Tax = 200%

Farang Tax = 50%

Chinese Tax = 30%

Thai Tax = exempted.

0% tax for all farangs married to ex bar girls and free pensions for the girls from the farangs country.

[binjalin]

This is partly a religion issue, and the difference between East and West resulting from this. Philanthropy as we know it began during the heyday of Purgatory Theology, when rich people left their whole life savings to Churches, Poorhouses, Hospitals and food-for-poor schemes. The rich person was paying to have his time in Purgatory cut, a small amount of money would get you 40 days reduced, some very rich people paid for 40,000 years less time in Purgatory. If you believe in Purgatory or not, the social consequences of this were very positive, people tried to live good lives and if they didn't manage that they would upon death leave a fortune to the poor and hungry in society. This was because in Purgatory (a sort of Hell_Lite) you weren't spending eternity in the Cellar as it were, but you were still suffering for a good long time. Greedy selfish money-men were forced to drink molten gold in Purgatory, liars had their tongues nailed to the floor, murderers were hewn upon the block. These are real incentives to live a good honourable life, or at the very least to give all your money to poor people when you died.

whoa!!! it is an essential part of Buddhism to donate to those in need for Karmic reasons. The problem in Thailand is that many are not real Buddhists and Thais, generally, are pretty selfish. The feudal system of "krenge jai" to your 'superiors' is in the process of being torn down (in the fight against the PDRC and its Ammart string pullers).

Yes your explanation of Christian benevolence is correct but Thai Buddhists have just as much philosophical reasons to give... but don't (because YOUR family is number ONE)