OPINION

Let's think smart

Re: "Do subsidies affect consumption?", (Business, July 1).

As a college student -- and a car driver -- I'm worried about Thailand's fuel subsidies. They help with motoring costs but encourage people to use more energy. This delays eco-friendly changes.

Yes, subsidies ease financial pressure during tough times, like the pandemic, especially for low-income families. However, they lead to higher energy use and less conservation. Is this the way towards greater sustainability? No.

Instead of blanket subsidies, the government should help low-income families with tax relief. This will promote smarter energy use whilst putting money in the pockets of the less well-off. Fuel subsidies offer short-term relief, but they risk bigger problems for Thailand's sustainability goals. Let's think smart.

Grateful to grandma

Re: "Quick-thinking grandma saves electrician's life", (BP, July 10).

I felt very appreciative when I read this news. People helping each other is a positive thing that should happen often. This news described how a grandmother saved an electrician's life by using a rope for electrical insulation and then performing CPR. This shows that the grandmother knows how to help someone who has been electrocuted. Some people commented that the grandmother performed CPR incorrectly, but I think that does not matter since she was able to save the electrician's life.

I believe we should teach students and everyone in society how to save lives when someone is electrocuted. This should be included in courses in schools and universities around the world. People need to know the correct way to save others' lives. This knowledge will be helpful and useful for societies in the future.

Libraries lost

Re: "A past that binds: A bibliophile's guide to Strasbourg, Unesco World Book Capital for 2024", (Life, June 27).

There is a concern that libraries won't have librarians as costs rise and technology increases. There was a time, as a child, when I would go to the local library with my borrowing cards, maybe use a card-based catalogue, and there would be a librarian who knew the books and had suggestions for me.

Now I use a computer to find a book, read 100 reviews online, check it out on a screen and don't speak to anyone. The old ways were better.

Help small farmers

Re: "National park rift worsens", (BP, July 10).

To help our farmers, PM Srettha should raise farm productivity -- not boost farm area by chopping off part of Thap Lan National Park. For example, over 2011-2021, our rice yield has remained relatively flat, mainly due to a lack of technological advancements and farmers' inability to change. Our farmers average 58 years of age, with 40% of households under the poverty line. The average farm household debt is equal to a staggering 7.36 years' income. Most farmers are under-educated, with only 20.1% having passed M6 -- mainly farming as their ancestors did. So, our rice yields have averaged only 2.7-2.9 MT/hectare, overwhelmed by Vietnam's recent 5.8-6.1MT/hectare.

Our government responds to farmers' problems through price supports and subsidies, discouraging competition and worsening their problems, like Yingluck's infamous rice purchases at 40% over market prices. Also, farmers are not homogenous, and "Decentralisation is the key. Only when local communities can manage their resources, finances, administration, and community development, will the aid serve farmers better" (source: TDRI).

Also, to aid farmers, there's no need to turn part of Thap Lan Park into agricultural land, for aerial images show that no area is deforested (source: Seub Nakhasathien Foundation). Rather, PM Srettha should help small farmers nationwide by facilitating access to credit, technology, businesses, and academia through proactive policies tailored to different farmer groups.

Peace is so delicate

Re: "Taiwan monitors Chinese military surge", (World, July 11).

I think this situation has significant implications for regional stability and international relations. The Taiwan Strait is a geopolitical flashpoint, with a miscalculation risking a far larger confrontation involving strong countries such as the United States, which provides Taiwan with weaponry and diplomatic assistance. The key role of Taiwan in the global manufacturing of semiconductors means that such tensions are not only geopolitical but truly economically significant.

All said and done, military posturing will continue for some time, and the only way the international community can address this is by attaching importance to diplomatic efforts at de-escalation and ensuring stability in the region. The balance of power has emerged with very delicate dynamics, calling for careful strategic engagement to ensure peace and security.

Time not wasted

Re: "Missing the point", (PostBag, July 9).

Maybe English is not my mother tongue, which might have caused expatriates like Michel Barre, MP Foscolos, and a few others not to understand my contentions correctly. First, for the record, I have never agreed with the proposal of taxing world income, as it would limit my choice of portfolio investments outside Thailand. Like most Thais, if it is a proposal, one rarely takes it seriously until it actually becomes effective.

Secondly, my input was well-intentioned, aimed at not unduly alarming the expatriates about a proposal that is alien to this part of the world. All it takes is for one minister to ask why we should introduce world income taxation when Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines are not doing so. Thirdly, I stated that "my dollar or pound inflow" contributes significantly more to Thailand's economy than other people's dollars.

Fourthly, Michel Barre's strong dislike of the world income proposal, after bearing the hardships of Thai officialdom for 35 years and observing the benefits bestowed on Thai citizens but not on expatriates, is understandable. Nevertheless, most of the disadvantages of being a non-citizen should already be known to him.

Fifthly, unlike the slogan "no taxation without representation" that sparked the American Revolution, the situation of unfairness in Thailand should be known to most expatriates before deciding to live here. Malaysia is ideal, having granted plenty of incentives to expatriates and being predominantly English-speaking. Even so, some may prefer the cost and style of living in Thailand or Portugal, both frequently voted as top favourite places for expatriates.

Finally, it is an overall choice, and least of all, not to lambast all expatriates to leave Thailand based on a proposal that has yet to materialise and is based on untrue premises. One can only hope that the time and PostBag space available to me has not been wasted on the silent expatriates in Thailand.

Some tax advice

Re: "Pension pickle", (PostBag, July 10).

Michael Lane's plea for clarification from the Revenue Department regarding the taxability of his Australian superannuation remitted to Thailand is apposite because there is no category of assessable income in the Revenue Code that captures this form of income. Section 40(1) covers employment pensions; thus, "Income derived from employment, whether in the form of salary, wage, per diem, bonus, bounty, gratuity, pension…". But Australian superannuation is a state pension, not income from employment, even though it could, in a sense, be considered indirect income from employment due to the employer's contribution. However, it is no longer necessary to have ever worked to be eligible for the Australian superannuation, in which case it clearly cannot be considered income from employment.

The reason that the Revenue Code neither includes nor exempts state pensions is clearly that the Thai government doesn't pay a state pension to its senior citizens. The closest equivalent is the old age allowance, which is a minuscule monthly payment of between 600 and 1,000 baht a month paid to all citizens over 60 without means testing. This is not taxable, as it is clearly not income from employment and is instead considered a welfare benefit.

Since state pensions are not listed as assessable in the Revenue Code and in lieu of any clarification from the Revenue Department or an amendment of the Revenue Code by the government, Michael Lane, in my opinion, will be justified in not including this income in a Thai tax return. I believe the same applies to all overseas state pensions.

'Conspiracy theories'

Re: "Above the law", (PostBag, July 6) & "Choose sustainable", (PostBag, July 5).

One can hardly argue with Michael Setter's right to recommend to Pyn Lochaya that he further his or her interest in current affairs by viewing documentaries on the power of the oil industry and international monetary policy, however cynical and one-sided those may be. It will be up to Pyn to take away from those productions what he will.

For my part, I would suggest to Pyn, our young contributor, that he or she should study Mr Setter's letter as a prime example of how easy it is to manipulate information to produce a seemingly convincing but completely false narrative. A quick Wikipedia search on the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) and the International Organizations Immunities Act (IOIA) reveals that the concept of an immune global elite of bankers sitting atop the international banking system and dictating to world leaders and governments is a complete and utter fantasy. Just for a start, the IOIA is a piece of American legislation that grants certain legal immunities and tax-free status to international organisations operating in the USA, and has no application anywhere else in the world. Obviously, Michael, or whoever he cribbed this bit of nonsense from, thought we would read the word "international" twice and follow him down his rabbit hole. Add a bit of creative writing, and lo and behold, you've got another full-blown conspiracy theory.

By all means, be aware that there are indeed bad actors out there who are power-hungry and corrupt, but be alert also that there is a network of those such as Mr Setter who persistently attempt to undermine confidence in our Western way of life through a relentless embrace of supposed conspiracies in every institution from the media through medicine, climate science, government, Big Oil, Big Pharma, and now Big Money. They can hardly be unaware of how neatly this intersects with the anti-West propaganda emanating from China and Russia, so it is particularly concerning that Mr Setter should have chosen to foist this brazenly dishonest fairy tale on a member of the younger generation.

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