Reciprocity : Good or Bad

General chat about life in the Land Of Smiles. Discuss expat life, relationship issues and all things generally Thailand and Asia related.
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Gregjam
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Reciprocity : Good or Bad

Post by Gregjam »

Sat here hiding away from the heat of the day I was discussing with my wife the differences between my presence here as a foreigner and what it was like for her as a Thai in the UK. Needless to say property ownership (she owns half our house in the UK) and visa/reporting were discussed.
I would love to see reciprocity in UK laws where land is concerned as it is not only Thailand where we face this inequality and am not saying change Thai law because I am not sure which is the best system but what if reciprocity was introduced not only with UK but other foreign countries.
As a UK national I am aware of the differences I face but what about others on the forum.
This is just to provoke an informative exchange of views (I am not trying to troll or incite trolling). How would reciprocity affect individuals if, in theory, it was applied. Not much chance of it ever happening but discussing it may prove a temporary distraction from the heat.
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dtaai-maai
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Re: Reciprocity : Good or Bad

Post by dtaai-maai »

Completely unworkable at every level. You'd have to adapt property purchase regulations to correspond with the different regulatory systems in dozens of different countries. An administrative nightmare.

The only reciprocity I'm aware of is with visas, and that is usually reciprocity by other countries whose nationals are required to obtain visas for the UK.
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Gregjam
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Re: Reciprocity : Good or Bad

Post by Gregjam »

It would cause a huge change in property prices if the UK made any foreign buyer prove that a UK national could hold freehold on property in their own country.
It would be interesting if foreigners arrested on alcohol related charges were sent back to their own country where they would get more than just a slap on the wrist. Or similar treatment for drug offenders but that no doubt brings the dreaded human rights mob into play.
Yes, unworkable but it would be nice to see some things change.
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JamesWest
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Re: Reciprocity : Good or Bad

Post by JamesWest »

the Thais would lose control of their country overnight.
Every piece of property would be bought overnight and the Thais would all be priced out of the market.
This is the one law I can understand to protect the Thai people who really stand no chance in the real world.
I really like this forum because there are no personal attacks. All the members contribute in a positive way to my posts.
Gregjam
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Re: Reciprocity : Good or Bad

Post by Gregjam »

I agree with the property law here and would like to see a similar law in the UK
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Re: Reciprocity : Good or Bad

Post by GLCQuantum »

JamesWest wrote:the Thais would lose control of their country overnight.
Every piece of property would be bought overnight and the Thais would all be priced out of the market.
Hmmm....

Many Thai's are snapping up London property right now. How much London property do you have in your portfolio? When it comes to wealth, I'd think there are very few of us living in Thailand that could compete with the Thai's. I've never been around such ridiculously wealthy people in all my (not many, granted :wink: ) years.

Wealth is not something missing amongst the Thai people.

Brains, manners, awareness, logic, compassion, ethics (the list goes on)... now that's another story.
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Re: Reciprocity : Good or Bad

Post by Name Taken »

JamesWest wrote:the Thais would lose control of their country overnight.
Every piece of property would be bought overnight and the Thais would all be priced out of the market.
This is the one law I can understand to protect the Thai people who really stand no chance in the real world.
I agree for the most part. Apartment rental prices in the U.S. are over 5 times what they are here.
I don't think property, home and apartment prices in Thailand are artificially/unrealistically low, quite the opposite, I think property, home and apartment prices in the U.S. are artificially/unrealistically high. There are a lot people in the U.S. that are dependant on food stamps and other government assistance because their monthly rent/mortgage payment takes up 95% of their paycheck.
Another reason that I think property, home and apartment prices in the U.S. are artificially/unrealistically high is because they think it keeps out the riff-raff and no one wants low-income housing in or near their neighborhood.
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Re: Reciprocity : Good or Bad

Post by Name Taken »

Some people seem to think I hate every waking minute of living here in Thailand, that's simply not true. There are still a lot of things I don't like about Thailand and I have my good days and bad days.
I'm really not sure that I will ever go back to the U.S. to live permanently, although it would be nice to go back to the U.S. permanently and live an enjoyable, affordable, decent and happy life.
The U.S. is just too heavily focused on weird fringe issues(marijuana legalization, gay marriage, etc. etc.) and people in the U.S. are not really interested nor focused on dealing with the important issues such as the ever increasing wealth gap.
It's terribly sad when a person can say life is better in Thailand(a third-world country) than it is in the U.S.
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