Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing YouTubers in Thailand. I had a lot of correspondence from folks sending emails and I think some comments on the various videos we have done here recently within the past week mostly revolving around the news which is pretty well encapsulated in the recent article I read from Thai PBS World, that's thaipbsworld.com, the article is titled: Revenue Department to tax YouTubers, online vendors and influencers. Quoting directly: "YouTubers, social media influencers and online vendors are be to be taxed on advertising revenue, sales of merchandise or donations earned through their channels, according to Lawaron Saengsanit, Director-general of Revenue Department." Quoting further: "He said the Revenue Department is to include these individuals in the tax system after it had succeeded in bringing over 200,000 people engaged in online businesses into the system, noting that individuals who have an income of a certain level also have a duty to pay taxes." I think that is worth noting. I'm going to quote that again: "noting that individuals who have an income of a certain level also have a duty to pay taxes." 

Now those of you who know me, sort of have been watching me over the years, I am not the hugest fan in the world of taxes; not my favourite thing. That being said, I do understand that oftentimes they are something of a necessary evil for lack of a better term in so far as yeah society does have to have things that are sort of coordinated on a community level. Roads for example, infrastructure, that all has got to come from somewhere and I understand it comes from taxes. That being said this really isn't a video on taxes per se more on the issue of YouTubers in Thailand. And yeah we've been talking about this going back a couple years now that yeah YouTubers in Thailand, it has been something of an open field if you will but those days rarely last forever when it comes to foreigners doing much of anything in Thailand. Over time there will be some kind of reckoning for lack of a better word in that Thai Authorities, as we have discussed in other videos, work authorization for example is required for YouTubers in Thailand. I have gone into the analysis on that in prior videos going back some time ago. Yeah you are engaging in work in Thailand and yes I understand "well I may not make money on it whatever!" We've gone into the analysis on that. The definition of work can be virtually anything, essentially the expending of the resources of one's own body can be deemed to be work under the way "work" is defined per Thai Labour Code. I have done the analysis on that. I am not going to go back into that but long story short, yeah YouTubing in Thailand I think very clearly can be considered work and for that reason yeah Work Permits need to be dealt with. Not only that, revenue derived therefrom, and this is probably where the issue is going to be most acute, revenue derived from YouTubing in Thailand on the part of anyone could be deemed taxable, in fact I think they are very clearly saying it is deemed to be taxable. Now you can bet the Government is going to want their money. At the end of the day Governments want their money so something to keep in mind and if you are foreigner here in Thailand and you have been YouTubing frequently and you don't have a Work Permit in order and you don't have your taxes in order, you could be looking at a really serious situation. It is probably a good idea to contact a legal professional, gain some insight and guidance into how best to proceed.