Tax man questions on interest reclaim

[Henryford]

Last year i started reclaiming the tax withheld on my thai savings accounts and got back (a fairly small amount) via cheque with no problems or questions. I claimed as usual this year and now have received a letter from the tax office (i assume) instead of my cheque. It's all in thai so i can not understand it except the words Passport and Work Permit. Sounds like they want to question me but i can't even read the date of the interview.

Has anyone else received such a letter and what is it for? I am not sure what to do, ignore it and probably lose my refund or try to understand what they are looking for. My only income in Thailand is a small amount of interest on my savings account.

[orientalist]

I got the same letter every year. It specifies additional documents they need from you. In my case it was always a signed copy of passport and work permit - even though they know I am long since retired. In small print at the bottom, it says something like "If we don't receive these documents within X days, we will take the appropriate action." In other words, you won't get your refund. I subsequently found out they need a copy of your whole passport to make sure you were in Thailand for 180 days. What I did last year was to attach the copy of passport to my tax return with a note on the first page saying I am retired, do not work, and therefore have no work permit. I then got my refund without any request for documents.

The front-office people at the tax office are usually very helpful. Go and show them the letter and say you don't read Thai and what should you do. If you are lucky, they will fax your passport copy to the back-office people (and any other document you were asked for) and explain that you are retired, and that will be the end of it.

[BobTH]

deleted post, already answered duplicate.

Edited March 5, 2016 by BobTH

[james6]

Hi, I got the same letter with a date i presume is an appointment with a tax man Then 3 days latter a load of forms to fill in. Like you i cant read Thai. I am 70 and retired with a Uk pension such as it is. I think i will do what your first repy suggested and visit the tax office for a translation and see what happens. peteinpatts

[BobTH]

Hi, I got the same letter with a date i presume is an appointment with a tax man Then 3 days latter a load of forms to fill in. Like you i cant read Thai. I am 70 and retired with a Uk pension such as it is. I think i will do what your first repy suggested and visit the tax office for a translation and see what happens. peteinpatts

Hi James6, I think the forms you got where most likely the forms you would need to complete your taxes by mail, I get them also every year. However they always arrive after I have gone to my tax office and filed, so I just disregard them. Like both of you I only have income from my fixed bank accounts and am on a retirement extension. As for the letter I have never gotten one of them, this year I got my check in the mail in 21 days here in Bangkok.