What Our Clients Say
Accounts from individuals and businesses who have worked with Chai Compass on personal tax filings, corporate structuring, and Revenue Department proceedings.
Back to Home"I had been living in Thailand for three years without fully understanding whether my foreign pension income was assessable here. Pattaraporn walked me through the residency rules and the UK-Thailand DTA in plain terms. The written summary she provided was something I could actually file and reference — not just notes from a meeting."
"When we received the RD audit notification, our first instinct was panic. Nattawut was calm and methodical from day one. He organised our documentation, attended the examiner meetings, and drafted a response to the preliminary findings that was clear and well-referenced. The final assessment came in substantially below the initial figure."
"We approached Chai Compass to review our group structure ahead of expanding into Thailand. The position paper covered all the tax types we hadn't considered — SBT on our intercompany loans, withholding on management fees, the BOI eligibility question. It took three weeks but it was thorough. We didn't get any surprises when we filed."
"Alicia was incredibly helpful in sorting out my PND.91 situation. I had been working in Thailand for two years with income from both a Thai employer and freelance work billed to a UK client. She explained exactly what was assessable, what the deductions were, and what I could expect to owe. No surprises, no confusion."
"Our family business had accumulated some filing inconsistencies over the years — nothing dramatic, but we knew it needed sorting before a potential sale process. Chai Compass reviewed the situation, advised on voluntary disclosure for one period, and prepared a remediation plan. Very measured, very professional. They clearly know the Revenue Department process."
"I appreciated that they were straightforward about what they could and couldn't say. I came in hoping for a simple answer on some structuring questions, and they explained why the situation was genuinely uncertain under current Revenue Department practice. That kind of honesty is more useful than false confidence. I'll be using them again."
Selected Engagement Summaries
Revenue Department Audit — Thai Trading Company
A Bangrak-based trading company received a Revenue Department notice covering three tax years, questioning deductibility of certain management fee payments to a related Singapore entity and the WHT treatment applied. The initial assessment letter cited a figure that, if sustained, would have caused significant operational disruption.
Chai Compass reviewed all relevant transaction documentation, researched the applicable transfer pricing provisions and the Thailand-Singapore DTA, and prepared a detailed written response addressing each examiner finding. Two examination meetings were attended by our advisor, who conducted all proceedings in Thai.
The Revenue Department accepted our response in substantial part. The final assessment was settled at approximately 31% of the initial figure stated in the preliminary findings. Post-audit, we provided documentation recommendations that have been implemented by the company's finance team.
IHQ Regime Assessment — Regional Software Company
A software company with regional operations across Southeast Asia was evaluating Bangkok as its regional headquarters location. The finance team needed to understand whether the International Headquarters regime offered genuine tax advantage for their specific transaction profile before committing to the restructure.
We prepared a position paper modelling three structural scenarios against the IHQ eligibility criteria and the applicable CIT rate differential. The paper included an analysis of the qualifying service income rules, the royalty payment implications, and the withholding tax exposure on dividend distributions.
The company proceeded with the Bangkok HQ structure based on our analysis. The position paper was used directly in their group tax disclosure to the parent company's auditors. The IHQ application was submitted 4 months after our engagement concluded.
Multi-Jurisdiction Income — US Executive in Bangkok
A US national on a three-year assignment in Bangkok was receiving salary partly from the Thai entity and partly from the US parent. He also had US-source rental income and a vesting equity grant from the parent. No prior Thai tax advice had been taken and two filing years had passed without submission.
We assessed each income stream against the Thai-US DTA, determined assessable income for both open filing years, and identified the voluntary disclosure pathway for the unfiled periods. We prepared filing guidance for both PND.91 returns and provided a memo addressing the equity grant sourcing question, which involved US-side tax coordination as well.
Both filing years were submitted via voluntary disclosure with interest but without the higher penalty rate. The equity income question was resolved on a sourcing approach the client's US CPA confirmed was consistent with their US-side treatment. The client has used Chai Compass for each subsequent filing year.
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If these accounts reflect a situation similar to yours, we'd welcome a conversation. There's no commitment in an initial enquiry.
Your Situation Deserves the Same Care
The clients above came to us with different questions. What they shared was an appreciation for clear, well-documented advice they could act on with confidence.
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