shipping agent / customs want duty tax paid bc my Work permit is only 11 months

[davidst01]

My furniture has arrived from the UK and when I signed my 12 month contract at work it took 3 to 4 weeks to leave the country get the non immig B visa come back and get the work permit. Thus my WP is only for 11 month. 

 

Now Im getting the BS from the shipping agent in bkk stating that I might have to pay the 25000 baht tax at customs because they require a 12 month WP. 

 

Does anyone have any legal knowledge as to the validity of this? We all know how dodgy things are in the LOS. I assumed it could be sorted by my agent handing some cash to the customs guy and end of story. 

 

My agent received good feedback from other members on this forum before and thats why I selected him in the first place. He said he would try and help me but I know he can hold me to ransom as he has my furniture and also now my PPort and WP. 

 

Why is everything in thailand such a pain sometimes?? Everything is about money in this country. Rant is over. Please help if you can

 

thanks to the moderator if they can nominate this thead to be on the daily email list. 

[EBlair48]

Seems you are at their mercy, sorry to hear your troubles but you will get no where trying to complain. Authorities  make up the rules as they wish. However you may have recourse through your Embassy re the PP  but IMO  your belongings will be gone unless you play  by their rules. By 11 months do you mean 11 months old or the validity Left on it? You maybe  can simply get your permit renewed? Explain your problem to the Labor dept- worth a try  and it'll be cheaper

 

  Please allow a bit of unsolicited advice  I do mean this seriously. If you can at all- turn around and leave. I have many many regrets from  my decision to reside and do business here and I do not think the recent developments re govt. will have foreigner 's welfare at heart.

 

Everything is as difficult as can be unless you can pay pay pay for it not to be.

Edited August 12, 2014 by EBlair48

[ATF]

Your work permit should be valid for 12 months but everyone usually has to pay when they ship a container it's par for the course. 25K is a good price most people have to pay 40k.

 

Ask your company to sort it out. It's tax deductible anyway.

[NanLaew]

... He said he would try and help me but I know he can hold me to ransom as he has my furniture and also now my PPort and WP.

 

How on earth does he have those documents?

[pgrahmm]

Pay the tax......there's only a certain amount of time it can stay there at no charge....if it's in a container demurrage charges + storage fees that can be around 40-50,000B mine was 38,650 demurrage a month.....

 

That's one of the ways the cost got so high while I was fighting to bring in a car that was in the container.....at one point they wanted to keep the household stuff too......I went through attorneys, agents, even tried to get the OK to reship to another country for friends to store......

 

This part of the system is slanted so badly prevailing is costly even if you should somehow win.....

[davidst01]

 

... He said he would try and help me but I know he can hold me to ransom as he has my furniture and also now my PPort and WP.

 

How on earth does he have those documents?

 

 

The agent has these docs bc thats the legal requirement. customs need to see this. 

 

My shipping agent is friendly and helpful enough but will see what happens very soon when it comes to money demands..

[h90]

Change the agent....

 

Usually the customs is friendly, from your writing your agent didn't even try to clear it yet.