By Barry Kenyon

[Gaybutton]

None of that will include me. Not that I have anything against it. It's that I don't understand it. Bitcoin, crypto currency - I have no idea what it is or even those are two terms for the same thing. I don't know how to invest in it. I don't know how to keep track of it. I don't know how to get my money out from it and into my bank account. I know zilch - less than zilch.

Maybe I'm just behind the times, but along with knowing nothing about it, I also am not the slightest bit interested in it. If anyone wants to enlighten me about it, please do.
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Expats in Thailand offered a further tax holiday with bitcoin

By Barry Kenyon

June 18, 2025

In an ambitious move, the Thai finance ministry has announced that investors – Thai or foreign – will be exempt from paying tax on profits from their crypto gains provided they trade through exchanges or brokers licensed with the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission. The exemption runs from January 1 2025 through to the end of 2029. The measure is designed to strengthen Thailand’s position as a global financial hub and one of the early countries to adopt laws for digital assets and their taxation.

Thus Thailand is doubling down on waivers already promised to expats and Thai residents to transfer overseas income without personal tax. A detailed ministry circular is awaited, but the proviso in this particular case is that the cash arrives here in the calendar year, or the following year, in which it was earned. The finance ministry has separately promised that tourists will soon be able to pay for accommodation, meals and other items with cryptocurrency at registered businesses by linking their credit cards to digital assets for domestic spending.

If the tax-free crypto works out as planned, Thailand will be able to compete with Singapore and Hong Kong for the title of Asia’s crypto hub. In reality, the country is abandoning its former policy of trying to tax everything in sight and to bet that temporary breaks will bring more benefits in the future. But the new move is accompanied by a crackdown on unlicensed offshore crypto exchanges and the cyber crime associated with them. The hope is that the latest policy shift will attract investors rather than speculators.

But ExpatTax Thailand, in an email to subscribers about crypto, advises that specific details are awaited. The exemption applies to actual crypto gains solely from buying and selling and not (it appears) on income from business activities. It isn’t clear how gains will be reported or what happens tax-wise if you cash out on a non-licensed platform or an offshore wallet and transfer that money into Thailand.

ExpatTax concludes, “This five-year crypto tax break could be excellent news for expats – but it’s not automatic and not without limitations. Be prepared for further clarification from the Thai Revenue Department.” Separately, a government spokesperson said there were no plans to allow visa payments or immigration charges by cryptocurrency. Not for now anyway. As Whistleblower’s Edward Snowden reminded us, “It is very unpopular but also very true that bitcoin is the most significant advance since the creation of coinage.”

https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... oin-505785

[Dodger]

Maybe next they'll entice all you on-line cyber-crazed crypto dudes with BitBaht.

I'm sure it's right around the corner.

[thewayhelooks]

All hail Trump's bitcoin crypto currency corruption. He'll do it right for us.

[Jun]

In an ambitious move, the Thai finance ministry has announced that investors – Thai or foreign – will be exempt from paying tax on profits from their crypto gains provided they trade through exchanges or brokers licensed with the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission.

Introducing tax incentives for investing in productive businesses might be better than tax incentives for speculating in crypto currency, which has no useful output.

[Gaybutton]

Border runners should head for Laos and not Cambodia

By Barry Kenyon

June 24, 2025

The Royal Thai Army has closed all border posts between Thailand and Cambodia except for special cases such as medical patients. The closure includes the two locations in the Pong Nam Ron district, technically known as Ban Phakkat and Ban Laem, which are popular with Pattaya-based tourists and expats.

The closures are part of the ongoing territorial spat between the two countries which also includes bans on trade and problems with electricity and petrol supplies in border areas. Cambodia insists on arbitration from the International Court of Justice whilst Thailand demands an agreement between the two countries.

Visa agents are advising border hoppers to join organized minibus tours heading for the Laos capital, Vientiane, via Nong Khai. Most transport leaves Pattaya in the evening and requires an overnight stay. Inclusive prices start at around 12,000 baht and include travel, accommodation, the bureaucracy and the Laos visa. Variables include the standard of the one-night hotel and the varying cost of the Laos visa for different nationalities.

Border runners of most nationalities receive 60 days for tourism on returning to Thai territory, with a further month’s extension available at local Thai immigration. A spokesperson for Thai Visa Services said, “It’s best to book with an agent who will know all the detail and current rules to avoid a wasted journey.”

Another category of visa runners are those holding some types of non-immigrant visas which give 90 days on arrival, but require leaving the country to reactivate. The Destination Thailand Visa offers a new six months’ permission every time the holder enters Thailand by air, land or sea. Flights between Cambodia and Thailand are currently unaffected by the territorial dispute.

https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... dia-506668

[Dodger]

......The closure includes the two locations in the Pong Nam Ron district, technically known as Ban Phakkat and Ban Laem......

Unless I missing something, they've closed border crossings in 7 of the 8 border crossing provinces, not just the two locations that Barry mentioned.