reader Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 From Sun Daily BANGKOK: The Thai government will be introducing tax incentives to encourage families to have more children, as the country is becoming an ageing society, Thai News Agency reported. Nathaporn Chatusripitak, advisor to the Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said the cabinet approved the Finance Ministry's proposal to allow households to deduct 60,000 baht (RM7,415) from their taxable income this year for their second legitimate child. This will add to the deduction of 30,000 baht (RM3700) for the first child. The government will also allow families to deduct expenses of up to 60,000 baht on birth delivery or prenatal care from their taxable income. Nathaporn said that the tax measures are expected to help with Thailand transitioning into an ageing society in 2036, when the elderly would form 30% of its population. http://www.thesundaily.my/news/2018/01/17/thailand-introduces-tax-incentives-encourage-more-babies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexx Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Nice idea, at least 10 years too late though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianPFC Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 The world economy is a Ponzi / snowball scheme that relies on growth. The resources to nourish and care for the old should have generated and saved by them, but they didn't, so now their children have to generate an excess to care for the old. One day, natural resources or environment will not support this any more and there will be global crisis that throws large numbers of people into poverty or death. I can clearly see it, but I don't know if it will be a "Mad Max" or a "Soylent Green" dystopia that awaits those unlucky to live long enough and not to belong to the very small number of wealthy. Alexx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 awaits those unlucky to live long enough and not to belong to the very small number of wealthy. reminds me answer given by my uncle who fell while strolling and got some scratches and bruises, When asked ' what happened , did you tip over or step on something:" answer was ,' no, that's penalty for living too long" Alexx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveboy Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 The world economy is a Ponzi / snowball scheme that relies on growth. The resources to nourish and care for the old should have generated and saved by them, but they didn't, so now their children have to generate an excess to care for the old. One day, natural resources or environment will not support this any more and there will be global crisis that throws large numbers of people into poverty or death. I can clearly see it, but I don't know if it will be a "Mad Max" or a "Soylent Green" dystopia that awaits those unlucky to live long enough and not to belong to the very small number of wealthy. I think you are absolutely right, and I see this "incentive to boost birth rate" as something negative. The world economy is traditionally seen as a Ponzi scheme where ever more young people are needed to support an aging population. But there are some favorable advances that may compensate for this. Technology is giving us a great fleet of slaves, machines and automation, that can do the work for us. In reality, they are concerns that their existence will cause wide unemployment. And increasing number of seniors don't work because they don't have to or don't want to, not because they are unable to work. So, why should we push to increase the number of young people who may face unemployment? Why not put to good use the many seniors who want or even need to work but are discriminated because of their age, not their inability? Soon we will have self-driving cars that can take seniors comfortably to their work. And the workplace is becoming increasingly friendly, with better facilities and even telecommuting. I think that society should push for a decrease in birth rates. China should be much better off today than if it had not pushed for the one-child policy. And a smart Thai couple should think seriously about how much 30,000 baht per year, or 60,000 baht on birth (US$ 1,000 or US$ 2000) can contribute to the cost of raising a child. And if they find that those sums are a lot of money, pity the children that will grow up in poverty! ChristianPFC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveboy Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 reminds me answer given by my uncle who fell while strolling and got some scratches and bruises, When asked ' what happened , did you tip over or step on something:" answer was ,' no, that's penalty for living too long" Hopefully you don't age like your uncle but remain healthy and strong, so at most you trip over the clothes of the boy in your room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vessey Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 Not that we, with our interests, are exactly helping them boost their birthrate LOL kokopelli and vinapu 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santosh108 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Actually we may be helping increase the birth rate through all of the off fees and tips to straight guys. Not to mention the food and hotel bills we pay. So I think we are doing our part!! vinapu and reader 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Hopefully you don't age like your uncle but remain healthy and strong, so at most you trip over the clothes of the boy in your room. whatever happens, happens. As for tipping over boy's clothes I hardly recall any one of them just dumping hos clothes on the floor, always they fold them neatly and place on the desk / table Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 So, why should we push to increase the number of young people thanks God our parents did not think like that , otherwise I wonder where we would be now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveboy Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 thanks God our parents did not think like that , otherwise I wonder where we would be now? That must be a rhetorical question, because there is no intelligent answer to it. If you are not born, you cannot know that you are not born. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveboy Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Not that we, with our interests, are exactly helping them boost their birthrate LOL Instead, we help reduce overpopulation. One homosexual couple can mean two less straight couples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reader Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 Instead, we help reduce overpopulation. One homosexual couple can mean two less straight couples. Must have been magic, married to you. You do, after all, frequently remind us that you were once married--to a woman. kokopelli, DivineMadman, Alexx and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveboy Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Must have been magic, married to you. You do, after all, frequently remind us that you were once married--to a woman. For your information and others, it is not magic. Some gays we can be bisexual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reader Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 For your information and others, it is not magic. Some gays we can be bisexual. For the sake of clarity, let's see if I've got your status straight (sorry). Since you're bisexual, you must still be swinging from both sides of the plate, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 The world is overpopulated & if we all insist upon living to the high standards that we have, the best prospect for the planet would be to have a global one child per family policy. The chances of that happening are slim to zero. Wars are likely to be fought over diminishing resources. When there are insanely overpopulated countries not far to the west (India, Bangladesh), it's probably a bad strategic move for Thailand to have an ageing & declining population. Along with the slow economic growth that an old society has. So whilst encouraging breeding is bad for the planet, on a competitive planet, it's good for Thailand. Another way to tackle the problem is to allow some selective immigration. By selective, for example, Cambodia has a very high birth rate & the same religion. So with the right policies, within one generation, immigrants from Cambodia could be fully assimilated, just like, for example with immigrants from places like Poland to the UK. Not importing any religious conflicts that could last for generations there either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveboy Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 The world is overpopulated & if we all insist upon living to the high standards that we have, the best prospect for the planet would be to have a global one child per family policy. The chances of that happening are slim to zero. Wars are likely to be fought over diminishing resources. When there are insanely overpopulated countries not far to the west (India, Bangladesh), it's probably a bad strategic move for Thailand to have an ageing & declining population. Along with the slow economic growth that an old society has. So whilst encouraging breeding is bad for the planet, on a competitive planet, it's good for Thailand. Another way to tackle the problem is to allow some selective immigration. By selective, for example, Cambodia has a very high birth rate & the same religion. So with the right policies, within one generation, immigrants from Cambodia could be fully assimilated, just like, for example with immigrants from places like Poland to the UK. Not importing any religious conflicts that could last for generations there either. Your proposal would be well suited for the past, when battles were fought by very young people with swords on the battlefield. But Thailand would need to produce countless children to measure up to a nuclear power like India, and it would have to become as overpopulated as them. In our times even an older population can fight a modern war. It does not take much force to fire a gun, or to push a button and launch an ICBM. Bringing in people from other countries with similar religion prevents a big conflict. But mass emigration is always a source of much suffering. There is already an effort by the community of nations to avoid big exodus of refugees by resolving the conflict in their lands, but like much else, success is not forthcoming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveboy Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 For the sake of clarity, let's see if I've got your status straight (sorry). Since you're bisexual, you must still be swinging from both sides of the plate, correct? I am very sorry for the lack of clarity. But I don't want this to be any business of yours and stress you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reader Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 You considerate tease, you. kokopelli 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...