Transcript of the above video: 

As I have said in some other videos, I'm kind of trying to do something here. I'm hoping the mic on this one is improving finally and if not bear with me. I have had some folks come over here to try to help me with it and this week if the mic doesn't get sorted out, I will get a new mic if I'm going to continue to do these sort of informal videos. 

So the title of this video is "Why is the Thai Government on a "Golden Goose" Chase?” And let me just jump in here because I first thought of making this video after I actually read a recent article in the Pattaya Mail, pattayamail.com, wherein we here at Integrity Legal were mentioned and some of our videos, videos I've done here were actually mentioned in that article. A tip of the hat to Pattaya Mail, thanks very much for the mention. I think in a lot of ways and I would urge those who are watching this video, go check out that article, I'll link it in the description below. We usually do it visually but because I'm doing this sort of solo and more informally, I'll put a link in the description below to the articles that I mention in this little snippet here talking about what's going on here. 

But again, I first thought of making this video after reading a recent article in the Pattaya Mail, pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Thai Tax reform and the Golden Goose. Quoting directly: "Not a single Government spokesperson so far has endorsed or even commented on the Revenue's," that is the Revenue Department's - I guess in the UK they call it the Inland Revenue Service or something and they refer to it as The Revenue, so it's like when we say the IRS, basically they say The Revenue. Quoting further: "The Revenue's radical proposal to tax worldwide income even though first mooted last June." So nobody's talked about this; we've been talking about it. They have said that they want to harmonize Thailand's law and talking about all this in connection with the OECD, which the more I am looking at the OECD I think it's completely not in Thailand's interest really to join that if all it is going to mean is we are going to harmonize our tax system and create some kind of supranational body that can tax beyond the national authority. I have no problem with the taxing powers of either of my countries - the United States or Thailand per se - it's this supranational thing, when these International agreements then become the legal mechanism by which they're able to tax nationals within either of those countries, that is when I start to have a problem. Quoting further: "Thai Revenue of course has the rule of recommending courses of action to increase national tax income. However, Integrity Legal's warning that the Golden Goose is in danger of self-assassination illustrates the threat of continuing silence by Government Ministers or the Cabinet as many expats threaten to quit living here and the national economy continues to struggle. The need for proper debate is already well overdue." I would say no need for debate; we just don't need to change any of these rules particularly. 

Look, one of the reasons that the Revenue Department is low on money is they shut down the economy for two and a half years over what basically amounted to a giant over exaggeration of what could basically be described as a really bad cold and flu season, basically, that's what occurred. And our economy's got shut down because we listen to supranational bodies like the WHO, headed by the way by an avowed Communist, so keep that one in mind. Those were the problems. The solution is not taxing more, and now on top of this. So I thought of making this video on its own when I read that article regarding the Golden Goose, I was going to go further into detail on some tax stuff. I am going to let that slide for now because quite frankly we are not there yet; they haven't promulgated any laws. My hope is there's not further debate, they just drop it and they just continue to run revenue collection the way that they have. Meanwhile there's a way to get a whole bunch of new revenue for Thailand; it's called Tax Cannabis. I mean that to my mind is the solution to these issues. We have a new cash crop, create an Excise Tax. I don't care, create whatever you want, create a tax on it basically. 

That said, and then if going after Golden Geese in terms of the expat world isn't bad enough, now it looks like they're trying to go after Golden Geese in the Tourism Sector. I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Bangkok Post, bangkokpost.com, the article is titled: Minister aims to levy 300 Baht Tourism Tax. Quoting directly: "The new Tourism Minister aims to start collecting the 300 Baht Tourism Tax after it was shelved during the previous administration led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin." This is my favourite part. So this idea was judged to be a bad one because it was then, and it was shelved by that Administration, but now that Administration has gone. Now this new one who by the way the last Administration fell because of dumb ideas in my mind, in a lot of ways. I mean ostensibly there was also the ethics thing that came up against the former Prime Minister but also there was a general sentiment - things like bringing in Chinese Police on the streets - there was a general sentiment of certain policy ideas were just bad ideas. Now in the prior Government's and this Government's defense, this idea of a Tourism Tax has been bandied about for I can remember at least the last 5 years if not possibly longer, but it was a bad idea then, it was shelved because it was a bad idea and now it's back. Quoting further: "While pledging to stimulate Tourism Revenue to reach at least 3 trillion Baht this year", how about you just get out of the tourists' way and let them bring their money, maybe that would be the best idea. Quoting further: "The Tourism Fee scheme was approved by the Cabinet in 2022 but has not been endorsed via publication in the Royal Gazette since that time." I'm hoping because cooler heads prevailed and realized it's not a good idea. Quoting further: "The Ministry will look into the details and finalize the collection procedure in a way that does not discourage tourism sentiment." By even bringing this up and promulgating it in any way, discourages tourism sentiment. I mean when you tax people because, look tourists come to a place and I have mixed feelings on tourists; I don't love the ones that show up and think that everybody needs to, I don't know, sort of genuflect or something because the tourists are here. Yeah, we are hospitable; Thailand loves tourists; we love having tourists here. It's always great when new people discover Thailand; everybody here I think agrees with that, as long as they are respectful and everything. But that said, they do bring in money and they're doing it voluntarily and they are doing it by dint of just the existence of your country. The existence of Thailand causes people to come to Thailand; they want to go to the beach whatever and spend money. Let's not discourage that by literally at the airport banging them over the head for some tax money. Is that a great idea? Is that a great policy? I don't think so and quite honestly, I think that the last Government had the right idea in shelving this because they didn't think it was a good idea either.