Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing "non-defined expats". What is that? Well I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is, pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Thailand's battered tax on foreign tourists delayed once again. Quoting directly, and for those who are unaware, we have done other videos on this. They have done this discussion, they have continued sort of talking about this Tourist Tax, what I call it. Basically a tax on tourists, adding an extra levy on folks coming in for holiday and let's get into it. Again, Pattaya Mail, pattayamail.com, the title: Thailand's battered tax on foreign tourists delayed once again. Quoting directly: "International airlines had agreed to pilot a scheme whereby the cost would be added to fares whether booked with them direct or online or with travel agents. However no way had yet been found to target only "foreign tourists" since Thai Nationals and some non-defined expats were excluded from the scheme to raise the extra money. It had been suggested that those excluded would be able to reclaim their 300 Baht later, but the fuzzy idea has proved very unpopular amongst those directly concerned." 

So what's going on here, they have tried to sort of place a Tourist Tax but the problem is how do you separate the tourists who are on a given plane from Thais or from folks that have, for example in all the discussions I saw, folks with a Non-Immigrant B Visa would not necessarily be subject to the Tourist Tax if they had a Work Permit or for that matter, I think Non-immigrant O Marriage Visas, same deal if they had a Work Permit. Meanwhile, it began to get sort of nebulous as to how retirees were going to be treated. 

Long story short, this has not been put into effect so this Tourist Tax so-called, does not presently exist. I kind of have my questions as to whether it ever will because quite honestly, as noted in this article and I urge those who are watching this video go check that article out in detail for further information, but in my opinion I think there is a pretty good chance we may not ever see this implemented because again the practicalities associated with it may just be over and above the capability of collecting it and honestly as has been discussed in other videos and folks have discussed sort of in op-ed pieces on this and everything, it kind of begs the question if we really need this tax insofar as look tourism itself brings in money. Adding on this Tourist Tax, if anything it may operate against bringing in more tourists because it just kind of, I don't know, annoys them that they are having this tax added. Then the retort to that is "well don't bring it up with them!" Well that is never going to happen. The news is the news, the Press is the Press, the internet is the internet; people are going to find out about it, it's going to come out. I think the country can benefit more just by bringing in tourists and all that concomitant revenue, but that said I can see the argument in favour of having sort of a fund again to sort of bail out a tourist that has some horrific accident to pay for medical bills to get them on home or something, I can see it, but it seems to me it is kind of one of those "best laid plans of mice and men" where getting it implemented is going to be a lot taller order than just having the idea.

t remains to be seen if they do in fact end up promulgating a Tourist Tax here in Thailand. We will keep you updated on this channel as the situation evolves.