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We were there on holidays ;-) But I know what you're talking and while what we're doing is technically a gray zone, what the government is after is mostly free

by znq 12y ago

We were there on holidays ;-) But I know what you're talking and while what we're doing is technically a gray zone, what the government is after is mostly freelancers that basically live in Thailand, but are not paying taxes there and are constantly on a visa run to re-enter the country.

neindanke 12y ago
> We were there on holidays ;-) No, you stated you were working. From your article's title: "Working Remotely From A Tropical Island In Thailand" > what we're doing is technically a gray zone Did you file a tax statement and did you pay any taxes on income earned while you were residing in Thailand?
- znq 12y ago
  > No, you stated you were working Noticed the smiley? Nevertheless, how do you differentiate between holidays and work and where to draw the line? If you're responding to a work emails while being on holidays, does that count towards the taxable income in that country you're visiting? > Did you file a tax statement and did you pay any taxes on income earned while you were residing in Thailand? Absolutely. We're not evading taxes. All income is taxed in Spain. And we weren't residing in Thailand. We were only visiting it and happened to also do some things that were related to our business back home in Europe. The work we did had nothing to do with Thailand itself. I'm not an international tax specialist, but at least from a moral point of view I don't see that we did something wrong. In European countries for example you only become a tax resident if you spend more than 183 days there. EDIT: formatting
  - ashconnor 12y ago
    >In European countries for example you only become a tax resident if you spend more than 183 days there. Pity Thais cannot easily come to Spain and work illegally. Despite what you've said it's blatant public abuse of the tourist visa system in Thailand. Honestly when I see blog posts like this my opinion of the author and company goes down considerably. Breaking the rules and publishing the fact that you are makes me question what other grey areas you'd operate in.
    - geomark 12y ago
      Yes, what they did violates immigration law in Thailand. And the comments of a senior immigration official don't change the law; they just indicate that at least in that region the enforcement is likely to be rather lax. But there's really nothing to get bent about. No locals were out of a job. They lived there as tourists so paid a lot more into the local economy than locals, including a lot more taxes in the form of VAT on all their purchases. The only real issue is that they were at risk even if they didn't sense it, because what happens now and then is someone gets pissed off (usually another foreigner) and rats someone out. Then the police see an opportunity to collect an extortionate "fine" before they get deported.
      - hingisundhorsa 12y ago
        > No locals were out of a job Could you explain how you formed that conclusion? > They lived there as tourists so paid a lot more into the local economy than locals How did you determine that? I've lived as a hippie in India, similar to what Steve Jobs did. I spent 0 money and lived off the temple welfare system. I was exploiting the generosity of people who had a thousandth the resources and welfare that I had. I wasn't alone. There were hundreds, if not thousands of other Westerners doing similar things.
        newaccountfool 12y ago
        > Could you explain how you formed that conclusion? It appears that Mobile Jazz is a company that caters to western audiences, most of the work they will be doing will be for western clients who wouldn't hire Thai workers. The workers just happen to be out of office when they do their jobs.
        prawn 12y ago
        They put more into the Thai economy (renting a house, buying products, paying for services) and didn't take any money out (all earnings were from existing clients abroad). It might contravene visa issues from a literal read, but I think the intent was fair. Many Australians would call this "the vibe of the thing" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJuXIq7OazQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJuXIq7OazQ
  - hingisundhorsa 12y ago
    > at least from a moral point of view I don't see that we did something wrong. You did. You lied on your Thai tourist visa application form. It explicitly said: "I hereby declare that the purpose of my visit to thailand is for pleasure or transit only and that in no case shall I engage myself in any profession or occupation while in the country"
stephenr 12y ago
No, it isn't a "Gray zone" at all. You're breaking Thai law and contributing to a negative image about foreign workers in a country that already has stringent immigration laws. So as someone doing it the legal way and jumping through the hoops created to catch people like you, I'd just like to say FUCK YOU VERY MUCH.
- newaccountfool 12y ago
  Don't hate the player, hate the game. Not everyone likes to live risk free.

by znq 12y ago

neindanke 12y ago

> We were there on holidays ;-) No, you stated you were working. From your article's title: "Working Remotely From A Tropical Island In Thailand" > what we're doing is technically a gray zone Did you file a tax statement and did you pay any taxes on income earned while you were residing in Thailand?

znq 12y ago
> No, you stated you were working Noticed the smiley? Nevertheless, how do you differentiate between holidays and work and where to draw the line? If you're responding to a work emails while being on holidays, does that count towards the taxable income in that country you're visiting? > Did you file a tax statement and did you pay any taxes on income earned while you were residing in Thailand? Absolutely. We're not evading taxes. All income is taxed in Spain. And we weren't residing in Thailand. We were only visiting it and happened to also do some things that were related to our business back home in Europe. The work we did had nothing to do with Thailand itself. I'm not an international tax specialist, but at least from a moral point of view I don't see that we did something wrong. In European countries for example you only become a tax resident if you spend more than 183 days there. EDIT: formatting
- ashconnor 12y ago
  >In European countries for example you only become a tax resident if you spend more than 183 days there. Pity Thais cannot easily come to Spain and work illegally. Despite what you've said it's blatant public abuse of the tourist visa system in Thailand. Honestly when I see blog posts like this my opinion of the author and company goes down considerably. Breaking the rules and publishing the fact that you are makes me question what other grey areas you'd operate in.
  - geomark 12y ago
    Yes, what they did violates immigration law in Thailand. And the comments of a senior immigration official don't change the law; they just indicate that at least in that region the enforcement is likely to be rather lax. But there's really nothing to get bent about. No locals were out of a job. They lived there as tourists so paid a lot more into the local economy than locals, including a lot more taxes in the form of VAT on all their purchases. The only real issue is that they were at risk even if they didn't sense it, because what happens now and then is someone gets pissed off (usually another foreigner) and rats someone out. Then the police see an opportunity to collect an extortionate "fine" before they get deported.
    - hingisundhorsa 12y ago
      > No locals were out of a job Could you explain how you formed that conclusion? > They lived there as tourists so paid a lot more into the local economy than locals How did you determine that? I've lived as a hippie in India, similar to what Steve Jobs did. I spent 0 money and lived off the temple welfare system. I was exploiting the generosity of people who had a thousandth the resources and welfare that I had. I wasn't alone. There were hundreds, if not thousands of other Westerners doing similar things.
      - newaccountfool 12y ago
        > Could you explain how you formed that conclusion? It appears that Mobile Jazz is a company that caters to western audiences, most of the work they will be doing will be for western clients who wouldn't hire Thai workers. The workers just happen to be out of office when they do their jobs.
      - prawn 12y ago
        They put more into the Thai economy (renting a house, buying products, paying for services) and didn't take any money out (all earnings were from existing clients abroad). It might contravene visa issues from a literal read, but I think the intent was fair. Many Australians would call this "the vibe of the thing" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJuXIq7OazQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJuXIq7OazQ
- hingisundhorsa 12y ago
  > at least from a moral point of view I don't see that we did something wrong. You did. You lied on your Thai tourist visa application form. It explicitly said: "I hereby declare that the purpose of my visit to thailand is for pleasure or transit only and that in no case shall I engage myself in any profession or occupation while in the country"

stephenr 12y ago

No, it isn't a "Gray zone" at all. You're breaking Thai law and contributing to a negative image about foreign workers in a country that already has stringent immigration laws. So as someone doing it the legal way and jumping through the hoops created to catch people like you, I'd just like to say FUCK YOU VERY MUCH.

newaccountfool 12y ago
Don't hate the player, hate the game. Not everyone likes to live risk free.