Have some expats taken the Thai income tax world too seriously? The Bangkok Post report that the Thai Revenue Department (TRD) is preparing a royal decree about a notoriously touchy subject has set the expat world aflame once again. It looks as if “Thais” who transferred income from overseas in 2024 won’t have to pay tax if moved in 2024, or indeed any time up to December 31 2025. The inference is that cash transferred here in 2025 won’t be taxed if moved in 2025 or 2026. The general idea is to encourage the repatriation of foreign funds to Thai bank accounts in order to boost domestic cash holdings. The whole issue, like the many-headed Hydra in Greek mythology, has many heads: cut one off and another grows in its place. So what is a “Thai”. It could mean a Thai national or Thai passport holder to the exclusion of anybody else. But not necessarily. Any foreigner who spends 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year is a “Thai tax resident” which comes pretty close. Sooner or later TRD will have to come absolutely clean about the matter. The most likely scenario is that expats will be included. Foreign expats in Thailand come in all shapes and sizes. Those who have any income gained within Thailand – say from employment or property – are eligible for Thai tax no matter even if they are physically here for just a few days in a year. In other words, being in Thailand for less than half a year does not excuse foreigners from all Thai taxes. However, income sent from overseas only kicks in if you are a Thai resident for tax purposes. Tax is paid when the individual obtains a tax identification number, fills in a tax form and writes the cheque so to speak. There’s no shortage of accountancy firms and tax specialists only to happy to act on your behalf. Most of the expat panic has centered on retirees who live on social security payments and/or different kinds of pensions from overseas. If TRD clarifies that the shorthand “Thai” does indeed include foreign tax residents, they become no longer liable for TRD taxes on regular income transferred from overseas, at any rate until the end of 2026. Beyond that it’s just guesswork until, at least, we see the royal decree. Even then, the ground rules could change if – for example – Thailand moves from a residency-based tax system to one based on worldwide income whether sent to Thailand or not. Many commentators say this is unlikely as wealthy Thais won’t like the idea of declaring publicly all their assets throughout the globe. Once the royal decree is public knowledge, several lurking gremlins will grab the center stage. If you transfer cash which is untaxable, do you none the less have to fill in a tax form? Where do double taxation treaties – there are 61 in total and all different in scope and detail – fit into the picture? Does the TRD excitedly see the typical expat as a potential mega-currency victim, or should we recall that the vast majority of adult Thais have never filled in a tax form in their lives? The best advice is to stay cool. It’s always a mistake to try and hurry the Orient.