Proof of income tax paid in home country - Pattaya Immigration new requirement - Maybe

[Gaybutton]

According to the December 22 "Headline News" - see the video beginning at 2 minutes in ( viewtopic.php?p=112278#p112278 ) - Pattaya immigration, for extending retirement visas, is now demanding to see proof that you have paid income tax in your home country.

The video itself says this has not been confirmed, but this information is coming from farang who recently went to immigration to extend their retirement visas. At the time of this post I have seen nothing about this in any other English language news media.

In other words, at this moment I don't know whether this is a new one coming from immigration - with the usual no warning or advance announcement of any kind.

The video does not say whether retirement visa extension applicants who knew nothing about this and would have had no reason to include anything about their income tax within the documents they take to immigration - were granted the extensions anyway or whether they were sent away and told to come back with their tax documents.

However, until we know for sure one way or another, among the documents you take to immigration I would advise taking a copy of your income tax - just in case.

Nothing in the video says whether this applies to any other immigration offices in Thailand or whether it applies to any other types of visas besides the retirement visa.

My usual question about this sort of thing comes to mind: If this is happening, who came up with it and why? Is there someone who is paid to come up with even more ways to hassle and make life more difficult for expats on the retirement visa?

If it's true, I don't understand why immigration would even be interested. Even if Thailand eventually does tax farang income, that would have nothing to do with immigration, would it?

Of course, once we know for sure what, if anything, is going on it will be posted.

So, if this turns out to be true, it's the next item on my "I Don't Get It" list . . .

[Jun]

If it's true, I don't understand why immigration would even be interested. Even if Thailand eventually does tax farang income, that would have nothing to do with immigration, would it?

Immigration don't want your tax records, but they do want you to give up and use an agent who pays bribes.