@Tony ********

I'd be nterested to know what alternative service you have found.. just in case it becomes a viable option for me later on.. cheers.

If you want to avoid disclosing your overseas address to your bank.. or indeed other organisations you deal with in the UK.. take a look at ExpatFone which works through an app called Devyce.. for a fixed monthly fee you get a UK number with unlimited free calls and texts to UK mobiles and landline numbers (with a few exceptions).. it's app based so is effectively a VoIP service.. but the other party will never know it since it masks your location.. by giving a UK rather than overseas dial tone if somebody calls you.. and it presents your call exactly as it would if you were making the call within the UK.. so nobody gets to know where you are actually calling from.. you get free voicemail with immediate (single button) retrieval of messages.. and you can elect to port your UK mobile number over to it when you sign up.. if you want to retain your number.. and you can port it back out if you return to live in the UK one day and want to revert to a conventional network.. I've been using it for nearly a year now and it's solved all the issues of trying to maintain a UK mobile and use it overseas that plagued me.. especially as there have been reports that some UK banks are getting arsey about maintaining accounts for overseas customers.. or at least those that don't have large sums on deposit with them.. so provided you have a UK correspondence address registered with them.. such as a family members address.. then this service means they never need to know where you are actually living!

@John *********

Yes that is my understanding too.. I'm simply saying it's not a fair system.. since it effectively removes the home country tax free allowance from the equation.. so you could end up paying tax on what was considered exempt income.. the only way to defeat it in the short term is to avoid bringing money into Thailand altogether.. at least until common sense prevails!

@Bart *************

Except some countries (like the USA) tax you on worldwide income.. and it doesn't matter where that income is earned.. the reality is that income tax is not payable under any statutory law in many countries.. such as in the UK/US.. and the collection of it is actually not 'legal' but is 'accepted' nonetheless.. the answer is to abolish all forms of personal taxation on revenues and replace it with a single legislative tax on purchases.. along the lines of VAT.. which everyone has to pay since it's a point-of-sale tax collected by retailers.. so no tax returns to do and no liability to calculate in-country or cross-border.. and nobody can fudge it or avoid it and no headaches for us or the tax authorities.. simple, clean and unambiguous!

There is another grey area.. regarding tax deemed to have already been paid in your home country.. in so much that in most countries your income enjoys a tax free allowance.. meaning the first X pounds or dollars are exempt from tax and then you pay tax on any excess income over and above said allowance.. so if the income is 30k and the allowance is 10k only the net sum of 20k is taxable.. however once this liabity is settled the whole 30k is considered to be 'tax-paid' since it has been assessed and agreed by the tax authorities.. but the resultant (or visible) tax credit will be for the actual tax payment you have made.. ie. the monetary sum.. and as currently written.. this is the figure that the Thai tax system will take to offset any tax liability in Thailand.. but this does not recognise that (in my example) the whole 30k is effectively tax-paid.. and by ignoring this they are effectively removing the tax-free allowance in your home country by taxing you on the total income.. which is completely unfair imo.. in fact the whole concept is flawed in its present form and needs to be reviewed.. otherwise they will sink under the weight of their own bureaucracy.. they should be focusing upon 'earned' income that has not been 'assessed' for tax in any jurisdiction whatsoever.. ie. that has not been reported in the home country or any other jurisdiction where an individual may have a home or the right of residence.. i understand there could be economic nomads out there that earn high sums from overseas activities.. but they avoid paying any tax in the overseas jurisdiction by limiting their time in said country.. preferring to spend more time living in Thailand where they have no 'employment' and consequently (past tense) no tax liability on the income they subsequently bring here to fund their lifestyle.. i believe these people are really the target of the new tax regime.. rather than foreign retirees that may have Thai families to support on (comparatively) modest income.. the easiest solution would be to remove all pensions and other retirement payments received by retirees living here from the equation.. irrespective of the overseas jurisdiction where it originates.. and only look at the income 'earned' by this group from gainful employment with overseas employers (or other organisations) that has not already been assessed for tax in the originating country.. and if it has been then the gross income assessed should be exempt rather than just looking at the amount of tax they have paid.. otherwise Thailand risks alienating many retirees.. not to mention penalising many Thai's who depend upon this income, in the process!

@William ******

Concur with what you say here.. but that income would only be taxed in Thailand if it is brought into the country.. if it remains offshore then it will escape assessment.. perhaps the solution for such individuals is to move that income onto an offshore based pre-funded Visa or MasterCard.. and then spend that money directly from the card.. or simply use a credit card and pay it off each month from the offshore account.. ways and means 😉

@William ******

The real aim is to tax income being earned by residents of Thailand that has hitherto escaped any form of taxation.. in other words 'catch' people who have (up until now) been able to dodge paying any tax.. because they weren't deemed tax resident in either their home country or in Thailand.. i don't think the intention was to punish retirees who are living here on a retirement visa or perhaps a married visa.. but those people who reside here but work for an overseas company.. they could have significant earnings that aren't being taxed by anyone.. unfortunately the draft legislation was written such that any deposits to a foreigner's Thai bank account from overseas would be considered a form of income assessable for tax.. which does not recognise that these deposits may not come from income at all.. but from savings or investments held offshore.. and which represent a transfer of capital not income.. overlaying this concept is the right to claim exemption from tax in Thailand if there is a double taxation agreement with your home country.. if it can be shown that the income you received has already been taxed (or is deemed to have been taxed) at source.. then it will not be taxed again in Thailand.. and most western countries (such as the Uk, US, etc) have DTA's in place which govern this very situation.. so that should be someone's starting point to see how the new tax regime might affect them.. when all is said and done i don't think they want to drive foreigners out of Thailand.. which would be counter productive for the economy.. or to harm those citizens who are married to foreigners.. and reliant upon this income to support their family and often their extended family.. but they were somewhat naive in forming this new tax code.. the fact they have not published the final 'act' suggests it is already under review.. as does the delay in releasing the full scope of its application.. so I'm expecting some major modifications to ease the burden on none working 'tax residents'.. which will hopefully take foreigner retirees living here on more modest pensions out of the net.. it would also be unreasonable to proceed with the proposals (even as currently tabled) without giving us foreigners full disclosure of the implications.. meaning a clear understanding to enable people to make financial decisions in good time.. so imo we should see the introduction of it postponed by at least 12-months.. you surely cannot be taxed on 2024 'income' when they have failed to clarify exactly how this will operate.. and given you the opportunity to amend the way you manage your finances to minimise the effect of the proposed taxation.. so I'm betting it will be 2025 income assessed in 2026 and that it will be less onerous than it looks now.. fingers crossed huh!

@Dirk *************

My understanding is that the 'new' tax regime for foreigners is effective from 1 Jan 2024.. with the first tax returns becoming due in 2025 in respect of income received during 2024.. I'm talking about retirees here who dont have any earned income.. ie. they don't work and their income is related solely to pension payments.. if you are an expat who is working in Thailand then of course you will already be part of the Thai tax system.. and therefore you may already be filing tax returns.

Immigration laws require every foreigner to register their place of residence (known as a TM30) within 24-hours of arriving in Thailand.. it is actually the responsibility of the property owner to do it for you.. if you are staying in a hotel or other rented accommodation the hotelier / landlord should do it.. it's a simple process that can be done online at zero cost.. if you are staying at a private residence owned by your Thai wife (or a relative) they are still required to do this.. and failure to do so will result in a fine.. which can hexas much as 1600 baht.. however the reality is that if somebody enters Thailand as a tourist on a 30-day exempt stamp.. and leaves the country within that period without ever having any contact with immigration.. or any other authority such as the police or the municipality.. with the exception of the initial border entry.. then it is possible to come and go without having completed a TM30 and without paying a fine.. but there is always the risk of unforseen circumstances exposing the ommision and you getting fined.. given the ease and simplicity I'd say it's always best to do it.. especially if you intend to return to Thailand in the future.. or maybe want to apply for a longer term visa prior to your next visit.. although it is unlikely to prejudice such an application.. voluntary compliance will always stand you in good stead imo.. compared to potentially having a black mark on your immigration file.. the risk of any serious repercussion may well be minimal today.. but you can never rule out a change of stance in the future.. and if it suddenly becomes a more serious infringement you may live to regret it!

If you want a wide selection of international tv programming.. then consider an IPTV subscription.. easily streamed via a bespoke app on an Android tv or Media box 👍