Aussie Expats

[mickymazda]

Is anyone here in the same position as me. Working for an Aussie company, being paid in $AU to their Aussie Bank account but living and working in Thailand on a work permit obtained thru a company they have set up?

I'm classified as a non-resident of Aus, but what is the story at tax time when I get my group certificate?

Micky

[Nawtilus]

who is 'they have set up' you or the company you work for ?

Either way, if you are paid in Oz, you are taxed in Oz. If you were paid in Thailand, you would not be taxed in Oz if they did not know about it, not sure on Oz's dual tax policy, have heard something exists but as does not effect me I have not bothered to look for it.

But, definitely you will be taxed in Oz on what you are paid in Oz.

[steveromagnino]

who is 'they have set up' you or the company you work for ?

Either way, if you are paid in Oz, you are taxed in Oz. If you were paid in Thailand, you would not be taxed in Oz if they did not know about it, not sure on Oz's dual tax policy, have heard something exists but as does not effect me I have not bothered to look for it.

But, definitely you will be taxed in Oz on what you are paid in Oz.

hmmmm. I am not so sure.

YOu might qualify as a non resident for tax purposes if you spend more than 180 days out of the country in a year.

In which case, theoretically, you should be paying tax in Thailand instead.

For instance, the income I generate in Aussie and NZ I think I only pay withholding tax of a few percent on (bank interest) as i do not qualify as a resident for tax purposes in either country; paid in NZD, on money in NZD, but taxed in Thailand.

I would check it out; your situation isn't quite as clear as this...

[Tolley]

This is a tricky one.

Had mates working in Saudi who were paid in Australia but were exempt from tax in Australia because of an agreement with the Saudis and the Australian government.

I doubt such an agreement exists with Thailand. My gut feeling is that you have to pay tax but being a non resident muddies the waters a bit.

[Thailand Tiger]

I'm a non-resident Australian and unless something has changed very recently, the situation is this:

To be Australian resident for tax purposes, you must be in the country for at least 180 days in any given tax year.

If you're resident for tax purposes, you must pay tax on your WORLDWIDE earnings. Double-taxation agreements with the countries in which you earn may mean that you get a credit in Oz for the tax already paid in the country of origin.

If you're non-resident for tax purposes, then you are only liable for tax on your Australian sourced income. There are some exceptions to this such as Capital Gains Tax which doesn't apply to non-residents for some types of assets.

Hope this helps...

[steveromagnino]

I'm a non-resident Australian

Oh dear. Perhaps some sort of antibiotic skin cream can help you with your affliction

[think_too_mut]

I work for JP arm of a multinational, paid locally and pay no tax to Oz.

They have an agreement with JP.

Another guy who came here from Oz office, spent 6 months in JP, was paid in Oz and all he had here was expense coverage, othervise he would have paid tax on any earnings here.

He was paying tax in Oz as if he had never left.

[Farma]

I think you’ll be up for Oz tax as your group certificate is issued in Oz and you’re paid in Oz.

The only way around it would be if there’s some sort of agreement between your company and the ATO like the guys on certain tax exempt contracts in Saudi.

Thailand Tigers information looks fairly accurate from my experience.

I’m in a similar situation and use an Oz accountant when I make rare trips home. Sometimes I submit 2 or 3 years claims at the same time. Accountants are definitely worth the money.

You could always ask your company for advice too.