Transcript of the above video:

As you can see, we are doing an ALERT for this video and the reason I am doing an ALERT here, this is not an immigration matter, this is a matter of pertaining to something that are three topics that are a major concern to foreigners especially retirees here in Thailand. One is bank accounts, another one is Thai Taxes and another one is Thai Tax IDs, and unfortunately it seems like retirees are constantly the target of scams and that's the reason for this ALERT. I want to get this out so that people understand that there are fraud artists out there who are acting nefariously. 

That said, I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Pattaya retirees targeted in latest in scam calls scandal. Quoting directly: "The calls asked them for personal details and bank account information allegedly to confirm their residency status." Quoting further: "In one case, the Brit was assured the Thai Revenue Authority was compiling a list of foreigners who were excused from personal income tax. The other was subjected to a discussion about 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank account and upcoming changes to one-year extensions of stay." 

As we will get into in another video, as of now there is no plan to require tax documentation associated with visa extension. So first of all, put that out of your mind; I'll get into that in another video but put that out of your mind, generally speaking for one thing. Secondly, as I have said in other videos, unfortunately these so-called “tax consultants” - who are operating illegally here in Thailand in clear contravention of the restricted occupations - only Thai nationals can consult regarding Thai Tax matters. That level of fraud is concerning because it then leads to these kind of scams, where folks see that, "oh these tax people are scamming people to get them into a Thai tax ID number they may not need. Why don't I come along, and I have a new spin on that, I can use it to con people out of information pertaining to their bank account, bank account information or I might be able to con people out of their passwords associated with their savings account or whatever." Scammers are going to scam, that's just what they do. And when they see an on-going scam - in this case in the form of people operating illegally here in Thailand, providing illegal tax Thai consultations that they are not certified to provide - scammers see that and they say "hey this looks like a ripe group of people to take advantage of”, and these are the problems that come from not enforcing relevant Thai law in these matters. 

Now that said, the thing to take away from this video more than anything, no Government in the history of time nor dare I say ever, will create an "excused from personal income tax list". That's never going to happen. Governments are never going to say that, okay. That's just not what Governments do when it comes to taxes. They leave it out in the ether; they leave it to you to try to figure out if you are liable for taxes or not. That's what they're going to do, okay at the end of the day. 

So retirees out there, the reason for the ALERT - especially for retirees - if you're getting calls from people that say that they want information because you don't have a Tax Identification Number don't listen to it, okay? As we discussed in other videos, again Tax Identification information is not part of your immigration status, so don't look at it, don't be scammed from that perspective, and don't be scammed by these people that are saying you may need to have a Thai Tax Identification number. It is very likely you do not, for those who, I'll get to that in a moment, but it's very likely you do not. Meanwhile, if you're getting calls from anyone saying because you don't have one, they want information, just hang up. Nobody from the Revenue Department is going to call you like that, and again as mentioned previously, they are also not going to create a list of those who are "excused" from taxation; that's not what governments do, okay? So, let's just be very clear on that score. 

That being said, folks who are overwhelmed by this or may find themselves confused by whether or not they are liable or not for taxes, it may not be a terrible idea to contact a legal professional, a real legal professional. In the case of Thailand when it comes to Thai Tax matters you need to be talking to a Thai national first and foremost, and somebody who is qualified to discuss taxes generally. That's what you are looking for in terms of an actual legal professional regarding these matters. But yes, that being said, it may not be a terrible idea to contact a legal professional, gain some insight and guidance into how best to proceed.