Topic: Contract Details - How firm or flexible are you?

[Topper]

I read on the "other" forum about a teacher who didn't get the details of who was responsible for coughing up the taxes, the teacher or the school.

It got me to thinking...what does my contract say and what does the school actually do?

For me, who pays the taxes isn't in my contract.  Taxes are not even mentioned, along with who pays for what during the WP/visa process.  Yet the verbal agreement that the school takes care of the taxes (pays them every March with no involvement on my part, fiscally, phyically or in any other way), I pay for the visa and the school pays for the WP has gone unbroked now for three years.

I'm curious, how does your school do things?  I'd really like to know how many of these agreements are verbal and how many are contractual.

Let us know!

[los_teacher]

Nothing in my contract regarding the payment of taxes. 

At my school the payroll office calculates the taxes to be paid for for the year, divides by 12 and withholds that amount each paycheck.  Pay slips itemizing the pay and deductions are available every month to anyone who bothers to pick them up from the proper office.  At the end of the year the school pays the taxes.  They even factor in appropriate deductions if you provide them with the detail in advance (e.g. spousal or child deductions, insurance payments, retirement plans, etc.)  It is a little strange that they somehow don't need my signature for this, but I think they handle taxes through the internet these days.  There is a hardcopy record of the tax payment kept by the school and any teacher who wants a copy is free to go to the personnel office and get one. 

Pretty simple really - no hassles to the teachers.  Perfectly transparent as long as you make the effort to get the pay slips and copy of your tax form. 

[Nemesis]

You invite trouble if you rely on anything happening that isn't in your contract. What's your contingency, Topper, if the school decides not to pay your taxes this year?

[Topper]

Walk....and then post here.

[herrkutz]

I personally have had no problems regarding taxation from any school here and that is some 16 years.

With the exception of one school my tax has always been paid by the school .

Yes I do have at ax I.D. too as my wife and I have a business partnership so I am legal .

Posting on here if one has problems .
 
Hmm .

[Topper]

herrhutz,

I removed your last comment in your post as it spoke to moderation policies.  If you have a complaint, comment, whim, muse to comment on the moderation practices of the forum, please do it in the troubleshooting room.

Thanks,
Topper

[SusanRichardson]

I'm curious, how does your school do things?  I'd really like to know how many of these agreements are verbal and how many are contractual.

Let us know!

Hi Topper.

Everything is verbal. The school pays for the Work Permit and VISA extensions. Taxes are the responsibility of the person who recieves the income, in our case, the teacher. The key to this is knowing what a hassle it may be and is to get a refund should you leave early or be terminated mid year. To avoid this, you simply request a smaller monthly deduction and settle at the end of the calendar year. There doesn't seem to be any penalty for under paying via the deduction.(unlike again a western system of quarterly or monthly legal requirments)

A system you suggest, where the school is responsible, could invite fraud and abuse. If they don't pay it you are the one responsible and may find it hard to get a work permit renewal and/or VISA at your new school. Saying or even showing a contract isn't going to matter to a Thai. They will want the tax return and reciept for payment.

In the other event, where you dont' pay enough and then perhaps leave the country, at least you are the one who makes the decision...and like Wille Nelson, "they have a problem, not me" refering to his owing the IRS some 2 million dollars.

On this tax payment issue, I've seen it both ways. Several cases where no tax return provided and the extension granted, others where they don't even look for the form. These experiences in the last five years here in Thailand.

In summary, take care of yourself and don't depend on the contract is my suggestion. You aren't going to sue a school and get too far IMHO.

Susan

Susan

[bomha]

My first school in Thailand told me up front that I would have to take care of the work permit, immigration visas, etc., by myself, with no help from the school.  However, they took out almost 1,000 baht from every full month's paycheck, without me getting a tax ID #.  The next school was likewise except they did not take out the tax.  Neither school enrolled me in the Thai health insurance scheme, or retirement.  The third school said they would help, but I quit after less than two months and did not go back to pick up the final paycheck.  Of the three schools, only the first gave me a signed copy of the contract, and that only covered part of one semester. 

Willie Nelson told Barbara Walters during the TV interview, concerning his tax bill, "Sixteen million dollars isn't much if you say it fast."  He put out a new album, "The IRS tapes."  He paid millions before it was all over, after they auctioned off his personal possessions..