Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing, well this continued talk of so-called OECD membership - that's Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development - as well as talks of wildly increasing Thailand's Value Added Tax. Let's dig in here.

I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Thai Examiner, that is thaiexaminer.com, the article is titled: OECD tax changes and other moves at the heart of growing rifts appearing in Thailand's Government. Quoting directly: "Thailand's Government faces internal rifts over OECD tax changes with disputes over corporate tax, VAT hikes and an anti-coup law." One, let's not conflate what's going on with the so-called anti-coup law with this stuff having to do with taxes. Secondly, yeah there are probably some rifts because where did this come from? Did anybody campaign on any of this during the Parliamentary election cycle on, "hey we all need to be part of OECD, so we have to do all this extra paperwork and comply with a bunch of outsiders from Thailand's demands on how our banking system works. And oh, by the way, we also have to “align” all of our tax policies so as to get into a constant debt trap that creates all of this impetus on Thailand to give away money to foreign “developing” nations and have that money extracted through wealth extraction on the local population here in Thailand." Who signed off on that? Meanwhile, there's also talk of, "oh you have to raise all your taxes to come “into alignment” with our notions of “global minimums”." Again, who voted for that? I didn't. I didn't even hear of that during last year's campaign season. So, when you are talking about internal government rifts, maybe it's just people who are trying to adhere to what their constituents want them to do or what their constituents demands are. And I don't hear any constituencies in Thailand crying out with a clarion call for supranational totalitarianism and over taxation. That said, quoting further: "In the meantime, the country pushes forward with reforms aimed at full OECD membership." Now they constantly conflate this. They say, "oh we're reforming for OECD memberships." Hey, we haven't agreed to be part of the OECD yet so why do you get to come along and say we are doing all these things because we're doing it. No. Why don't we sign off on OECD membership first, which I don't think there's any grand mandate in Thailand for Thailand to join this thing by the way and the same goes for any other new supranational organization; I'm looking at you too BRICS. I'm not sure any of this is good for Thailand.

I did a video on this before where I asked "hey isn't APEC and ASEAN good enough at this point? Again, I hate this creeping, "oh we're just going to do it because we say we can do it", and then the media comes along as a handmaiden to that whole narrative and "oh that's just what's happening." No, it's not what's happening. Let's go through legislative due process. If Thailand wants to join this thing, let's have a vote and join and then we will deal with coming into compliance. Not we go through all your steps and all your nonsense to "align" with you and then joining is just a formality. This is a con; this is clearly a con. They have clearly tried to pull this on country before. This is nonsense. Thailand, do not get played by this. I hope whatever “rifts” being caused, are being caused by general concern for the well-being of Thai people and the Thai nation because I don't see where we're getting anything out of this. Nothing that's of any substantial benefit from where I sit. And by the way, if you have any doubts about that, look to the other membership. The proof is in the pudding. Is that what we want to emulate? Quoting further: "This comes despite challenges to the government despite widespread public support." I love these platitudinous statements. "Widespread" public support. Where is the widespread public support amongst the Thais for massive tax increases and joining a supranational organization that looks more and more like Colonialism under cloak when you really start to look at it? I'm not seeing or hearing any calls from the streets of Thailand to be doing this. Quoting further: "This week, cracks in the Cabinet appeared wider as former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, seem determined to shake up the economy." Why is Thaksin involved in anything? He's not part of the Government. And meanwhile, is there some mandate for the Prime Minister to “shake up” the economy? No. I think we're putting up with these people because we want stability, so we can have a stable economy. These people aren't existing because of "widespread" public support. Look at the numbers within the Parliament; look at the precarious nature of the coalition itself, okay? There's not widespread support for any of this.

Quoting further: "A key point of issue came on Wednesday when a special Cabinet meeting approved a minimum 15% tax on large multinationals." Who signed off on that? Who wanted that? Is that really going to be what's good for this country in terms of trying to attract foreign investment? And by the way, I thought that VAT got overturned; I thought they withdrew that whole thing. We did a video on that in the past, sorry, if I can pull it up here - butterfingers. We did a video on this in the past and we quoted directly from the article in the Thai Examiner itself, so I don't know why the Thai Examiner is talking about this like it's a foregone conclusion. Quoting from the article, 15% of VAT rate plan withdrawn over fierce backlash. Thailand needs time and patience for tax reform. Quoting directly: "A 15% VAT tax plan for Thailand was scrapped after public outcry." Yeah again, this is not a foregone conclusion. This is not something anybody here particularly wants, okay? And I have a pretty good feeling there's a hard push from the current administration in the United States to go for this because I know that is one of Janet Yellen's little mad hair-brained schemes that she came up with, the so-called “minimum tax” which I don't know what she is exactly running at this point. But let's be clear whatever "mandate" there might have been in this Administration, is quickly running out as the hourglass of the next 30 odd days is coming to a close and we are seeing the end of this current Administration in the United States. It really makes me mad to see them trying to push this stuff notwithstanding the fact that there really is no tomorrow for this notion and for these, quite honestly, for these initiatives okay. Quoting further: "The move is believed to be linked to reports of changes in the VAT rate and Thailand's program to join the OECD, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. This has already resulted in tax changes for foreign residents..." - no it has not Thai Examiner. No, it has not. Stop saying this stuff that isn't true. There has been no promulgated change in the Thai Tax Laws. I've discussed in the past, yes there has been an intra-departmental memo within the Revenue Department regarding assessability of money's remitted into Thailand. That is not a change in the Tax Law, just as OECD is not a foregone conclusion. I am really sick and tired of the media sitting around talking about this stuff in such, they're either omitting things, or they are saying things in a tone that has people believe that these are foregone conclusions and these are changes to the law. That has not occurred. Okay? Thailand is going through legislative due process to ascertain whether or not they want to be part of this, that is what's going on. Stop spinning it as anything else. Quoting further: "...but is seen as a way for Thailand to reinvent its economy and at the same time pave the way for full OECD membership."

What does Thailand need to reinvent? Thailand's economy is looking pretty good. You know what is really going on here? The OECD and all their member states are depleted, okay? The West is in decline, they're looking for a fine fatted goose to basically feast on to get them a little further down the road, okay? And they're looking at Thailand and it's looking pretty plump and good and part of their little modus operandi for coming after Thailand, is convincing Thailand that they are doing something wrong, that we are somehow primitive, that our practices are somehow in arrears, and we need to come to the enlightenment of the OECD's paradigm and do things the way that they want to do. It's nonsense, it's the same way colonization has always worked. It's terrible, it will be terrible for these people. 

Quoting further: "Thailand became the second Southeast Asian country to apply to join..." again, apply to join. They're talking about joining, it's not a foregone conclusion and frankly I think there needs to be moves now in the Parliament to roll this back. We have seen what this is going to look like; I don't think it's in the best interest of the nation. Globalism is clearly not in the best interest in the nation, and I would like to see some movement from folks that are representing at least me in Parliament on "hey maybe this isn't the best idea for Thailand". Quoting further: "Thailand became the second Southeast Asian country to apply to join the organization in February 2024. A road map was agreed upon with the Paris-based body in June. At this time, that road map appears to be at the centre of government decision-making." Well, whoever said from the constituencies here in Thailand that we wanted you taking a road map from Paris? Are we run from Paris now? That's who runs us in Thailand? Paris? Our Government takes its queues from Paris? That's what we're all about here in Thailand now? This is nonsense. I'm sick and tired of it and quite frankly, I would like to see even more movement to move away from this World Economic Forum globalist colonization plan. It's only going to hurt Thailand. Anybody that is looking out for the best interests of Thailand should look at things that pertain to Thailand, not some supranational body sitting around trying to tell us what to do all the time.