Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing how typical retirees, the vast majority of retirees, are not going to have to worry about a lot of tax issues here in Thailand. If I seem passionate or frustrated about this, it is because I have been screaming this into the abyss of YouTube for, I don't know now, going on a couple of years. 

And unfortunately there have been a lot of frauds and folks who are completely illegal operating out there in the ether of the internet who are foreigners who have no business pursuant to the restricted occupations, dispensing tax advice regarding Thailand - I have sometimes referred to them as the "stamp pimps" - basically running around trying to get people to file tax returns and do things they don't otherwise need to do because they want to drum up money, but what they are doing is they are doing a disservice to the public because they may be filing something they don't really necessarily need to file and that is pointed out in a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Thai lawyer updates retirees on personal income tax. So this is an actual genuine colleague. I'm an American Tax Attorney. I'm an American Attorney, I'm not a Thai Attorney. I am a naturalized Thai; I am the Managing Director of the firm. We have Thai Tax Attorneys on staff; we have Thai accountants on staff. I'm being clear as to what I am, but I am a Tax Professional at the end of the day. This person is a colleague. I have got no problem with legitimate colleagues. I have problems with charlatans and fakes.

Quoting directly: "Of course whether or not you should fill in a Revenue Department Tax form for the calendar year 2025 (in the first three months of 2026) cannot be answered in a yes or no response. I can only repeat that typical retirees, wholly dependent on transferring already taxed income from overseas, are not the target of the Revenue Department with or without those 61 double taxation agreements." And that is very well put. 

I urge those who are watching this video, go check out that article for more insight there but my colleague there, Thai colleague, talking about Thailand specifically, that's very well put. I've said this for years. The vast majority of retirees do not need to worry about this. Unfortunately, these folks, these charlatans have run around and spun this up into something, basically making it something people feel like they need to worry about, basically to create a bunch of artificial demand for a service people really didn't know otherwise need. It was all illegal if it was perpetrated by foreigners, because this is all under restricted occupations to begin with. It is tax, it's law, it's accounting. It's about as restricted as you can get under the restricted occupations. 

That being said, again my colleague brings up a great point. Most retirees are not going to have to worry about this. I have been saying this for a long time. Frankly it is nice to feel vindicated once in a while when you have basically collegial if you will, confirmation on something that you have said or basic ideas that you have expounded, or I have expounded in the past; it feels kind of nice. So tip of the hat to that gentleman as well. Tip of the hat - I think Barry Kenyon wrote this article in Pattaya Mail - tip of the hat to him as well. Good information by qualified people talking about things, I am happy to spread that around that is great. My big issue is people coming to Thailand and giving out fake advice because they are not qualified to dispense the advice they claim to be able to give to the public.