Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Sound Thai Tax Policy, and whether or not it might save high season. I have got to be honest, sitting here in low season right now in July of 2025, I am looking down the barrel of what I'm really worried about being a not so good high season. One, the arbitrary and capricious machinations of this current "Government" - I put that in quotes because their margin of majority in the Parliament is in my opinion suspect. Meanwhile, we have got this acting PM operating in lieu of a Prime Minister who is on suspension by the Constitutional Court of being on a phone call that allegedly has inappropriate communications with a foreign potentate and the Constitutional Court took up the case 9 to 0, and in a 7 to 2 decision decided to suspend her pending the final ruling on that. It's notable that the prior Prime Minister who was removed, did not have a suspension put upon them when that person was having their conduct adjudicated. 

That being said, here we sit, and things are kind of in a precarious state. Cannabis which I think was adding to tourism numbers, it hasn't been rolled back; it's a misnomer to say it is in any way illegal, but they are doing things through their “announcements” from the Ministry of Public Health which I don't think are all entirely appropriate especially given the fact they haven't passed an underlying law, which they said they would do some 18, 20 months ago, but have never gotten around to it, probably because they don't have the numbers in the Parliament to do much of anything. That being said, on top of that then we had all of these people running around talking all kinds of nonsense about Thai Tax Policy - especially in the foreign community - where they should not have been doing that. As I discussed in other videos, that is illegal pursuant to the Restricted Occupations for precisely this reason. You have got foreigners coming in with undue influence talking about policies that are inherent to Thailand and causing misinformation and the fallout stemming therefrom. But again, the result of this is we are sitting in a low season; I discussed this in a video I called a Low Season Perfect Storm and I think it's going to have ramifications going into high season. I think the standard tourists are going to be around but the long-staying tourists and things are freaked out about Tax Policy primarily, and that is why I am making this video because I think issuing a memo for example from Revenue Department with sound policy, at least for the forthcoming year and backwards for the last couple of years going back to quarter 3 of 2023, with the promulgation of the memorandum that got us all into this in the first place, would probably be a good idea and could save the high season in many, many ways. 

I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Expat dreams shattered in Thailand: cockup, conspiracy or just plain nonsense. Mr. Barry Kenyon made that video. It's good stuff; I meant that article, he mentions actually me in that. I would urge those watching this to read the article. I came back to this when I was thinking of making this video after reading the second thing we are going to cite. 

Before we go into this, for those who want to get into a deeper dive into all of this tax stuff, how it impacts expats, sort of some of the political analysis regarding what's going on in Thailand, how it impacts the expat community; you can email us to get on the mailing list for our paid news service, Integrity News Service, email us [email protected]. While I am talking my book, I think it's worth pointing out, my better half and I have opened a restaurant here in downtown Bangkok, Pancake Palace, breakfast anytime, as the name implies, pancakes as well. And we've also got great Diner style food: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, buffalo wings, chilli bowls. Those who are interested, please feel free, check the links in the description below, Pancake Palace in downtown Bangkok. 

That said, quoting directly: "Income tax is punitive: Currently, the Thai Finance Ministry is submitting a new amendment that overseas income transfer here will be tax-free in the year of submission or the following one. But of course, the conspiracy theorists will quote an unnamed policeman to say it's all a temporary ruse to grab your cash." Yeah, he's talking about the video I debunked regarding there being this secret Immigration source that somebody got. Quoting further: "The whole debate about expats, especially retirees, and their cash has become both exaggerated and distorted over the past two years." Yeah, primarily by foreigners who don't know what they are talking about. Meanwhile though, I think it might behoove the country if this much touted and much discussed - kind of almost whispered about as a myth in expat circles - reminds me of the scene in Braveheart where he has sort of been laid low and he is coming back, and his myth is sort of propagating throughout the country. This has been talked about, "oh there could be a Revenue Department memo that sort of sets this right and says, "hey backwards there is no problem, and maybe a couple of years in the future, not an issue". If that is going to happen, it should happen sooner rather than later. I think more than anything a rectifying memo from Revenue Department saying, “hey foreigners who bring in money during this period of time are not necessarily going to be subject to assessability or liability” would probably be a good idea, especially leading into this high season. I think it could only help. 

That said quoting further, and in the same vein; it is actually what got me thinking of making this whole video. Quoting from the article, Pattaya Mail, pattayamail.com: Thailand's tourism revenue is no joke, land entry fee delayed, and Pattaya ready for a full come back. Yeah, they have constantly been talking about the possibility of another tourist tax or entry fee tax. Quoting further: "One issue still under review is the long discussed "travel fee", also known as the "land-entry fee". While originally expected to be implemented in 2025, Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong has now signaled a delay. He stated that the current timing isn't right for introducing the fee and emphasized the need to first observe traveler sentiment during the fourth quarter high season." Well we need to do that beforehand. And that was the reason I made this video was reading that article and reading that excerpt. I urge those watching this video, check out both of those articles in pattayamail.com.

But yeah, again look trying to extract Revenue, I know the Revenue Department feels like they are in a shortfall. First of all, three years of shutting down the economy due to government action for something that really wasn't warranted, that's where you got your shortfall, okay? You can't squeeze blood from a stone. The Business Community is what it is; we're trying our best. Going after 18,000 licensed businesses unilaterally and arbitrarily and capriciously probably wasn't a good idea for raising taxes. It's also having impacts in the tourism sector, and then freaking all the foreigners out about the possibility that if they stay one day over 6 months in Thailand, they could end up with some kind of horrendous tax liability scared a lot of folks off too. I think it would probably be a good idea for Thailand generally to see a memorandum from Revenue Department that just said, "hey past two years, ignore all of that, for individuals; that pertained to corporations," I think that was the point of the memo to begin with; not to deal with individuals but to deal with corporations. And then say, “hey in the next one, two tax years or calendar years, you don't need to worry about this either”. That would probably help us going into this high season here in the Kingdom of Thailand.