OPINION

Smart tax move

Re: "Department to amend tax on foreign income remittance", (Business, May 19).

The director general of Internal Revenue and the Ministry of Finance are to be congratulated on their proposal to change their rules on foreign income remittances.

The new rule, which gives tax residents two years to remit their incomes from foreign sources before they become taxable in Thailand, should be applauded. As it stands, it has the potential to remove a huge administrative burden from long-stay tourists and retirees alike, which should help reinvigorate the tourism sector.

Moreover, high net wealth tax residents will be encouraged to repatriate income within the tax-free remittance period. This will encourage foreign currency inflows, help reinvigorate the Thai property market, support consumer consumption, and generally underpin economic growth at a critical time.

If there are no onerous filing requirements accompanying this proposed policy change, it is truly transformative. It rectifies what has been a thorn in the side of many long-stay expats in Thailand for the past two years and will go a long way to restoring Thailand's reputation as an attractive long-stay tourism and retirement hub to high-net-worth individuals wanting to relocate.

In rectifying this policy misstep, it would be remiss for Thai policymakers not to take note of the dangers of adopting OECD policies wholesale. Such policies may well be considered the world standard by similarly positioned EU countries that comprise the majority of the 38 OECD members. However, these very same policies may well be totally misaligned with the economic and social interests of Thailand and many other countries that are similarly positioned to Thailand sit outside the OECD. Even the US recently walked away from tax policy being forced on it by the OECD, when it too realised the policies were not in its national interests.

Thailand should not volunteer to blindly import policy from the OECD as a price of membership. The lack of suitability of OECD's tax policies in the Thai context is now clear to see. More than ever, Thai policymakers are obligated to carefully examine each of the policies demanded by the OECD accession process and determine whether they provide clear and unequivocal benefits to the Thai nation and its citizenry. If not, perhaps Thailand should reconsider whether full membership in the OECD is worth pursuing. Thailand would certainly not be the first country to conclude that OECD membership is not something it wants or needs.

No self-policing

Re: "Reckoning on the horizon" & "Senate powers face new threat", (BP, May 22).

Those accused of crimes must not be allowed to choose their warders, for that would be a massive conflict of interest. By the same token, the 193 senators being investigated for illegal election-related activities must not participate in selecting members of independent organisations that guard the public interest, including against possible Senate acts.

Police often tell suspects, "If you're innocent, come clean and don't hide things." But blue camp senators ever so discreetly fast-tracked the appointment of NAAC members to the next few days, hoping to present Senator Nantana Nantavaropas with a fait accompli even if the charter court granted her petition for an appointment delay. These senators, including the Senate speaker, are betraying BJT leader Anutin Charnvirakul, who has repeatedly exhorted his candidates to obey the law.

All senators should rush to show they have nothing to hide by signing Khun Nantana's petition.

Reform or repeat

Re: "Pakistan's best chance to save its economy", (Opinion, May 17).

Finally, Aasim Husain, a scholar from Pakistan, came up with truths that brought Pakistan to its knees. The article is full of facts and numbers that no one can deny. Since he was involved with the IMF, he is the right fit to analyse in depth, trying to tell how Pakistan can save its economy with an approved loan of $1.3 billion (42.4 billion baht).

But Mr Husain avoided mentioning why it's not possible. These IMF loans are accused of being shared by the top military generals.

Instead of building mainstream educational institutions like schools, colleges, universities, engineering, and medical facilities, Pakistan has seen the emergence of thousands of Madrasas where the subjects of mathematics and science are missing.

Mr Husain mentioned Pakistan's uncontrollable population growth and the absence of savings. There are no family planning schemes, and the government has not passed a law restricting the number of children per family, like China did.

As far as Islamic rules go, birth control is a sin, like traditional Christianity. "Even the poorest of the poor proudly produce more than 10 children in Pakistan. It's so common there. As Mr Husain mentioned, "when population growth outpaces income growth, per capita income fails".

Whatever Mr Husain suggested looks good as philosophy and doctors' remedial prescriptions to patients. The bottom line is that Pakistan urgently needs a democratic society, democratic political parties, and, ultimately, a fully democratic government.

Regulate, then relax

Re: "Easing of alcohol laws 'will lead to more deaths'", (BP, May 20).

I beg to differ. Indeed, easing of alcohol laws accompanied by random breath testing by Thai police on a regular basis may benefit the tourism industry whilst reducing Thailand's appalling road death statistics. A win-win! But I'm not holding my random breath.

No free dinner

Re: "Tiny company with China ties in big purchase of Trump coin", (Business, May 15).

The phrase "There's no such thing as a free lunch", popularised by economist Milton Friedman, has been confirmed at a great cost by President Trump meme buyers.

The biggest Trump meme coin "investors" joined him for an "exclusive" dinner, but why? The word investor has rarely been misused, given that these very wealthy individuals have paid up to $115 for a meme coin now selling at about $22. They are people who are buying an expensive ticket to probably a nice dinner and a minute of conversation with the president on the assumption of a four-hour meal for 220 people.

One estimate was that at least $148 million was spent to buy this access, which would have fed a million people for a week. The word corruption is featured in many of today's newspaper reports, but everyone can make up their own mind about the matter.

There is rarely a more apt comment than the one associated with PT Barnum, "There's a sucker born every minute".

High-stakes comedy

Re: "Trump ambushes South African president with 'genocide' accusation", (World, May 22).

President Trump's latest antics in the Oval Office confirm that the world is now seeing that highest office in the land, once a "pillar of the world, transformed/into a strumpet's fool", to borrow Shakespeare's apt phrase.

That looks good for the Cleopatras, Putins, and Xis. You would think the local yokels might take a more Roman stance. When the marriage to Vladimir is duly consummated?

And what new bard might, "for all time", write the unfolding comedy, making America a spectacle to behold?

Camel chaos ahead

Re: "Ministry warns of MERS threat", (BP, May 19).

The Ministry of Public Health advises Hajj pilgrims "to avoid contact with camels" and wear masks for fear of catching Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers). But Mers is not the principal hazard presented by camels. With a population of 32 million, Saudi Arabia has almost 2 million domestic camels. Many tourists like to ride them since not much Western entertainment is on offer there.

Although significantly under-reported, camels cause more than 80% of animal-related deaths and injuries in the Middle East. They bite, kick, stomp on, and cause their inexperienced riders to fall. Camel-vehicle accidents are common. During rutting season, they become highly aggressive and will chase and intentionally injure the unwary.

Just to be clear, wearing a mask does not prevent viral infection or camel bites. Camels have extremely powerful jaws. According to the Times of India, in February 2023, in Rajasthan, a camel attacked its owner, picking him up by the neck and throwing him to the ground, and then proceeded to bite his head off, resulting in total decapitation.

The incident was described as particularly gruesome, with the camel "chewing his head" after the attack. The Ministry should advise against riding camels and elephants because thousands of years of domestication do not prevent this kind of animal behaviour.

Ocean killers

Re: " Dugongs 'flourishing' off Trang isles", (Online, April 28).

While we applaud the divers and volunteers racing to remove the massive fishing nets strangling coral reefs near Koh Bulon Le, this should be a wake-up call to permanently ban drift nets and other destructive fishing gear.

These giant nets are walls of death, indiscriminately trapping and killing everyone in their path --from dolphins and turtles to whales and countless fish. Many victims suffocate, starve, or die slowly from injuries. These nets don't just kill individual animals -- they destroy entire ocean ecosystems.

Fish are every bit as complex as the dogs and cats who share our homes. They can count, tell time, plan ahead, and "talk" to one another underwater. They also feel pain, like when they're gasping for air after being dragged from their ocean home. The fishing industry, inherently violent, is complicit in the Earth's ecological collapse.

There's a better way. Going vegan is the most powerful step anyone can take to protect marine life and the planet. Those who truly care about animals or the environment should keep cruelty off their plates.

Don't eat fish. Every animal is someone.

PETA Asia Senior Vice President

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