@Nongnuch *******

they’re not VAT free. Agreements only apply to customs duty. Not VAT

@Michael *******

nah. It’s fair. The small local businesses are being crushed by this stuff

@Peter *********

that wasn’t the Dutch. That was the entire EU. Per usual their comma with constant deadline changes. The rules had to accommodate excise items and personal under 22 euros. They could have done better. They weren’t the worst (Malaysia was) but they weren’t too awful at implementing it. End of the day this comes down to how the Eplatforms handle it

That will depend on the platform and their business model. If they are just the platform and not the supplier you are likely to be f**ked. If the platform is the seller the increase will be minimal as long as they include the charges in the sale. If they don’t and you use an express carrier (especially DHL) you will be seriously ripped off with all sorts of added fees and delays. If the seller offers post - and you can handle the increased risk of something vanishing intransit you’ll likely save the hassle.

There is also the chance they invoke a model where registered exporters settle directly with the government. That results in a slight increase but no delays and no added rip off fees from the express carriers.

Of course there’s also how the government implements it. Do they follow the Malaysian model (total chaos, stop/start/change your mind) or Singapore (generally sensible. Clearly communicated with a start date in consultation with the players?

@Brandon ***********

“Thailand” + “learn to drive”

Suggest spending a few months in the US as a demolition derby driver in order to prepare.

the embassy website will have a list of the companies which are accepted by Thai customs. AXA issues a bare bones policy that meets the requirement. That’s the cheapest option

The certificate must have specific wording and must be from an approved list. AXA sells a bare bones policy that covers this for cheap

Provide the HK police with a printout of the requirements from the Thai consulate website. You have to submit the police clearance certificate. The HK police can’t submit it directly to any Thai government agency as they would just ignore it

@Pete ******

didn’t know that about foreign stock held in The US

The US doesn’t do withholding on dividends. Of US dividends taxes are paid when you file. That 15% is the German authorities withholding. As with all things german it may take 2 decades, your first born, 3,000 paper reams and the alignment of all the stars to ever get that 15% back. It can be done but just try googling around to the German government websites involved to get an idea of just how many years of your life it will steal