OPINION

Retirees seek clarity

Re: "New overseas income rules", (Business, June 5).

No one, as far as I know, has mentioned the bringing in of 800,000 baht for a retiree applying for a year's stay in Thailand. Will this money be taxed when first brought in? If so, then one will have to bring in over 1 million baht; otherwise, the 800,000 will not show up in the bank's letter that shows one has 800,000 in the bank.

Rare opportunity

Re: "New minister lays out foreign policy", (BP, June 16).

Giving humanitarian assistance to refugees fleeing Myanmar's civil war presents Thailand with a rare opportunity to shine internationally with a win-win solution to a major problem. We are a rapidly ageing society, and the age-gender-occupation tsunami heading our way is precisely what we need to slow down our ageing and kick-start our economy.

Ageing is especially severe in our rural areas: our average farmer is over 50 years old and poor; 40% of them live under the poverty line. Between 1993 and 2013, the proportion of farmers aged 45 and above more than doubled from 23% to 52%. About 30% of our labour force are farmers but accounted for only 8.81% of our GDP in 2022.

Giving Myanmar youngsters an acculturation programme and rural jobs at market rates will facilitate innovation and energise this sleepy but key sector. Having a merit-based path to citizenship will induce them to help us in the long run while we offer Thais heavily subsidised programmes to boost their productivity. We can start by reinstating Myanmar on the list of countries whose citizens can enter Thailand without visas and organise job matchmaking efforts.

Taxing times

Re: "Review tax reform", (PostBag, June 15).

I wish to thank MP Foscolos and BP for the heads-up concerning the intention of Revenue director-general Kulaya Tantitemit: "The Revenue Department is preparing to amend the law to collect taxes from individuals who have income from abroad, even if that income is not brought into the country."

I am a long-term resident of Thailand, now retired and dependent on savings and assets abroad, having spent much of my working life here at the maximum tax rate.

It is hard for a retired guy to up sticks to a more amenable tax residence after over 30 years in Thailand, and it takes a bit of planning.

On the positive side, it has provided me with a new interest. The 183 days in neighbouring countries and Europe sounds quite exciting, and foreign-based credit cards work just as well for booking travel as do Thai cards.

A harder approach

Re: "Soft power struggle", (Life, June 5).

Why not apply "hard power" instead of the inefficient slogan of "soft power" to solve Thailand's numerous problems?

Furthermore, the responsible forces should be more conscious of the importance of the "sympathy factor" versus Thailand, and also not ignore that the whole world is observing the level of its democracy.