Danger to pensioners
Re: "Pension pickle", (PostBag July 10).
I doubt that Michael Lane will get a Thai Revenue clarification of his Australian pensions. Nor will countless other expats in a panic over the details of their own personal finances. Impossible task!
I'm prepared to be proved wrong. But let's try the following. If you believe you have "assessable" foreign income brought to Thailand in 2024 beyond the Thai tax-free allowance of 120,000 baht, then for sure, get a tax identification number and send in tax revenue form 90. You might well need an accountant even though it's available in English. Do not send any accompanying documentation except the payment due, which should accompany the form's submission.
If you are chosen for audit -- unlikely for humble pensioners unless the government employs hundreds of extra tax officers -- then you will need absolutely to substantiate your figures. But if you do not believe you have "assessable" income to declare, then do absolutely nothing. Mr Lane is living in Thailand on pre-taxed income and may be of little interest to Thai Revenue. Not to mention double taxation treaties.
What we all need is an official explanation or update on what "assessable" income is as it relates to pensions. The Thai authorities are looking mainly for untaxed income from businesses abroad, offshore accounts, cryptocurrency adventures, and the like. The danger now is that the pensioned baby gets thrown out with the champagne bath water.
Go nuke power
Re: "No sign of a 'just' energy transition", (Opinion, July 10).
In the transition of electricity generation from fossil fuel-dominated to greener ones, Sarinee Achavanuntakul, the columnist, seems to be pro-solar power and anti-hydro power and has left nuclear power in bays.
In fact, the calculations of electricity generating capacity are based on the maximum usage of electricity (peak load) at one moment, not the average usage. Unfortunately, the maximum usages always fall during the night when no sunlight is available for solar-powered production, ie, the year-to-date peak load was on April 29, 2024, 20:56 hrs at 36,477.80 megawatt hour. So far, the calculation of electricity generation capacity has relied mainly on fossil gas-fired power plants, not green ones. Solar power plants may not be included in the calculations due to their unreliability, with eight hours per day of production. Hydropower and nuclear power are left for consideration when transforming reliable power production into green energy. Forget wind power; it's not windy here. In my opinion, nuclear power plants will be the best option for transforming into a green electricity-generating country.
'The Minions' delight
Re: "The man behind 'The Minions' ", (Life, July 9).
I enjoyed a "tin foil hat" moment thanks to the profile of Illumination director Pierre Coffin. On Saturday afternoon, I went to the cinema to see Despicable Me 4 and stayed to the end. Shared the movie poster on my social media with only the caption, "Double life", the title of Pharrell Williams' catchy theme song. Walking out, I wondered to myself how it was that The Minions was credited to a single name. There are so many of them, each with quirky personalities! About 24 hours later, at an open-air venue several kilometres from the cinema, I repeated my observation about The Minions' voices to an acquaintance. Then, 36 hours after that, I opened my morning newspaper to an article about this exact topic. If someone out there really is listening, thank you for occasionally paying attention.