Notice of a farrang double pricing location

Post by **lighspur1** » April 3, 2008, 8:08 am

I agree that it's not the money but the principle involved. In the USA, foreign visitors get charged the same outrageous, exorbitant fee at Disney World as the rest of us. No discrimination!

Not quite true, I live near the FL Disney theme park, and state residents do get a discount, however if your from out of state you will pay the same exorbitant price as a foreigner.

laphanphon · Post by **laphanphon** » April 3, 2008, 11:11 am

well, that discount i understand, as locals shoud get a discount for an incentive to visit. as being a local, they probably have already visited. why go again, well, little incentive is always nice. but 50-90 percent incentive, now that would really be nice.

Post by **38nholding** » April 3, 2008, 12:19 pm

Ain't it a great feeling to walk around this country and everyone thinks your rich !!

Post by **saint** » April 3, 2008, 12:42 pm

compared to the average thai we are rich, no question of that. i see thai builders/ rice farmers, working thier nuts off all day in the sun for less than any farang would have to pay in any national park. skilled man 180 per day, labourer 140 per day. so what if we are discriminated against, did any one have a gun held to thier head and forced to move to thailand, i dont think so. if you dont like it here , simple answer f> ck off to wherever you came from. or stop dripping on about how hard done by you all are, you like i are a guest in this country, it seems that most ex pats living in udon have forgotten that simple fact. i wonder why any of you are here in the first place? reading this forum makes me ashamed to be a farang :

Post by **cali4995** » April 3, 2008, 12:57 pm

Saint, I vote you go home.

Post by **BKKSTAN** » April 3, 2008, 1:10 pm

I vote he get Thai citizenship!

Post by **jingjai** » April 3, 2008, 3:12 pm

lighspur1 wrote: Not quite true, I live near the FL Disney theme park, and state residents do get a discount, however if your from out of state you will pay the same exorbitant price as a foreigner.

It's the same in Hawaii. If you produce a valid Hawaii state ID/driving license one can get a "Kama'aina" (child of the land) discount on hotels, car rentals, airfare, entrance to visitor attractions, etc. However, these can be not offered if it is busy season. Also, hotels, car rentals, airlines only have a allotted number of discount rooms, cars, and seats available at any one time.
Also, it is up to each individual business, whether or not they offer this discount. It is not some blanket government policy.
I guess one of the reasons for this Kama'aina discount is, that even though Hawaii is part of the U.S., the majority of wages are far lower than on the mainland.

Post by **beer monkey** » April 3, 2008, 3:23 pm

rickfarang wrote:I just tried the Thai Driving License at the Royal Palace this last week-end. The fellow at the entrance got out his Thai ID card and said I could only get in the 'Free for Thais" line with an ID card.

I cannot count the number of times I have taken people to that place, and I am awfully tired of paying the tourist price for the privilege of bring people to see the palace -too bad that foreigners can't get tour guide licenses .

wonder why they put the sign in English if its only Thai's with a Thai ID card in that lane only.....maybe they are rubbing it in that they have a dual system.

Post by **Irish Alan** » April 3, 2008, 3:25 pm

saint wrote:reading this forum makes me ashamed to be a farang :

Then don't read it... Read something else.

Post by **saint** » April 3, 2008, 3:49 pm

cali unlike most of you lot im happy here, white tax or no white tax, im not the one dripping on about how bad life is in thailand!!! bkkstan happy with that.

Post by **Bump** » April 3, 2008, 3:59 pm

Well welcome saint looks like you have been around a few months now and have the answers I bet your tuition is going to be high.

Post by **saint** » April 3, 2008, 4:13 pm

yea , your right. my tuition is costing me loads, somewhere in the region of half the tax i was paying when i was working my nuts off for her majestys government and brussels. sounds like youve been caught too ah!!!

Post by **cali4995** » April 3, 2008, 4:15 pm

Saint, I'm sorry but it's too late. Renounce your farang citizenship and tear-up
your passport. Once you've turned on us you can no longer be trusted. We don't
want you back. The weak among us always succumb to the dark side. I've seen it
happen before, I recognize all the signs. For chrissakes man, you've gone native!

aaaahhhhhh okay, I'm just kidding. Too much free-time today.

Post by **BKKSTAN** » April 3, 2008, 7:52 pm

saint wrote:cali unlike most of you lot im happy here, white tax or no white tax, im not the one dripping on about how bad life is in thailand!!! bkkstan happy with that.

''dripping on about how bad life is in Thailand''?Excuse me?

Talking about your experiences ''in life''is not ''dripping on about how bad life is in Thailand''!It is just a portion of life and for those not living in a dream bubble of know it allism,it can be helpful to saving them some inconvenience,misery and maybe some money!I'm happy with that!!!!

Post by **jackspratt** » April 3, 2008, 8:43 pm

I will be happy to keep paying farang prices at National Parks etc, because I am even happier at paying Thai prices when I go to the local hospital.

For example, yesterday I had my blood pressure taken, consultation with the quack, blood test for uric acid, second chat with the doc about results, and 100 prescription tablets.

Grand cost - TBH159 (A$5.50, US$5, Euro3.22)

Post by **RALPHCUSENS** » April 3, 2008, 9:00 pm

saint wrote:compared to the average thai we are rich, no question of that. i see thai builders/ rice farmers, working thier nuts off all day in the sun for less than any farang would have to pay in any national park. skilled man 180 per day, labourer 140 per day. so what if we are discriminated against, did any one have a gun held to thier head and forced to move to thailand, i dont think so. if you dont like it here , simple answer f> ck off to wherever you came from. or stop dripping on about how hard done by you all are, you like i are a guest in this country, it seems that most ex pats living in udon have forgotten that simple fact. i wonder why any of you are here in the first place? reading this forum makes me ashamed to be a farang :

In that case, don't read the f@cking forum, nobody is holding a gun at your head making you read it!!!

I don't dissagree with your comments regarding wages and prices, its your generalisation of the expats living in Udon remarks that followed, that has pissed me off.

Your forum handle,: "SAINT" may give some of the formulites, an idea of where you are coming from !!!

Post by **jackspratt** » April 3, 2008, 9:22 pm

RALPHCUSENS wrote: ......... its your generalisation of the expats living in Udon remarks that followed, that has pissed me off.

Ralph were you equally pissed off with the generalisation about Thais - from memory, something like "stupid and naive" - in the thread yesterday (now removed)?

Post by **RALPHCUSENS** » April 3, 2008, 9:39 pm

Jack,

Sorry mate, did not see it, but if I had, you can bet your bottom dollar I would have.

If you read my Past posts, you will see, that I am very quick to pick up on that sort of thing, in particular those generalising on the "Fairer Sex" here in Thailand.

Sorry Mod, side-tracked completly off subject

For Saint's information, I am ONE OF THE MANY, that are long term here in Thailand, who are very happy here, and don't go around knocking the Thai people or the Thai culture!!, so chill out chum, and don't classify the 90% with the 10%, who would not be happy in heaven!

Post by **rickfarang** » April 3, 2008, 9:52 pm

(I wonder how many people remember what this thread was originally about...)

Saint, Jackstpratt, and Stan all have some pretty good points. Now that the lady at the produce market is giving me good prices, maybe I should stop complaining about the national parks, etc.

After the odd 300 or 400 baht is not going to break me. At least not yet.

Post by **Snowden** » April 3, 2008, 10:10 pm

If the dual-pricing system is based on one's ability to pay, then I don't think that basing it on citizenship is a terribly fair method of distributing the costs of maintaining such activities to the wealthy and subsidizing access to the poor. There are many types of foreigners who live in Thailand, not all of them wealthy. Even Thais who nominally do not have equivalent salaries to foreingers enjoy other economic and social privileges and benefits which are not enjoyed by foreigners. On balance, I would expect that Thais have a better quality of life here in Thailand then do foreigners.

As an example, when I used to work in Thailand, I had a colleague with roughly equivalent academic credentials and experience. We were employed in similar positions in the organization. Our nominal salaries were equivalent, perhaps mine was about 10% higher than hers. Her actual salary, though, was about 40% higher. As a Thai citizen, she was able to become a government official, receive a special annual "bonus", pension benefits, job security, and regularly intended state-sponsored holidays throughout Thailand. In addition to having a much higher compensation package when considering everything, she was able to purchase a home, vote in elections, and pursue the vocation of her choice.

People who are day-laborers or farmers in Thailand are uneducated and unskilled. I would dare say that the lives of uneducated and unskilled workers in the west is not much better than their Thai counterparts. There are also many Thais who are middle-class and upper middle-class. The Thai people in the middle and upper middle classes are as wealthy as many of us are, even those of us on pensions.

The argument for dual pricing also is not perssuassive on a tax basis. Those of us who work in Thailand pay the same taxes as the Thais. Even retired people are required to pay tax on money they bring into Thailand to live (although few actually do pay it.) Of course, everyone pays VAT.

This is why dual-pricing systems based on citizenship are unfair and very difficult to justify on any rational basis. The system does play well for politicians who can tell the masses that they are "soaking the rich farang" and "protecting the Fatherland." There is at least a credible argument that tourists should pay a higher fee.

I would just add that the citizenship-based dual-pricing system is particularly pernicious considering that, except in very rare circumstances, foreigners do not have the ability to obtain Thai citizenship.