German newspaper @BILD has a new story on King Vajiralongkorn and the anger over his efforts to avoid paying three billion euros in tax in Bavaria https://t.co/reNenkgcoW— Andrew MacGregor Marshall (@zenjournalist) June 16, 2020
(Excerpt แปลจาก Google Translate)
All rights, no obligations, but plenty of luxury - the Thai king Maha Vajiralongkorn (67), known as Rama X., currently lives in the Garmisch luxury hotel "Sonnenbichl". As the only guest.
But that was not always so. Until the death of his father Bhumibol († 88) in October 2016, he used a million-dollar residence in Tutzing on Lake Starnberg.
And that is exactly the tax issue! Because after the death of his father, he received a handsome legacy of about 10 billion euros. Since he had his private residence in Bavaria, the Free State could have collected 30 percent of it as inheritance tax. So a total of 3 billion euros!
But the monarch never wanted to get his monets pounded - and tricked everyone. The then crown prince and now King Rama X. knew that under certain circumstances there is no inheritance tax for diplomats if you do it skillfully.
PROBLEM: The Crown Prince was never actually a diplomat in Bavaria. And: His villa in Tutzing was unmistakably a private house.
SOLUTION: Rama X. had a note stuck next to the doorbell that identified the property as a Thai embassy. In addition, two telephone numbers as a contact option. However, both numbers were not taken and led to communicative nowhere.
The trick worked anyway and the monarch saved three billion euros in inheritance tax.
Since he knew that the eyewashing would not work forever, he subsequently rented the "Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl" - and since then has been a "hotel guest" in the oasis of bliss for tax purposes (Section 2 Paragraph 1 No. 3 Inheritance Tax -Law). The improvised note on the Tutzinger Villa has long since disappeared. There are still doubts about the tax exemption for the Thai king.
Tim Pargent (27), Deputy Group Leader of the Greens and Claudia Köhler (53), MPs in the Bavarian State Parliament, wanted to know from Ilse Aigner (55, CSU) President of the State Parliament why the king did not have to pay.
Tim Pargent on BILD: “We state parliament Greens are committed to tax justice. This also means that people with high inheritances participate appropriately in the financing of the community and do not dive into tax loopholes. Even in the case of a king, no exceptions should be made here, which is why we have followed up here. "
The response from the Bavarian State Ministry of Finance and for Heimat, which BILD has published, is sobering. The Ministry admits that the Thai king was subject to tax (Article 34 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of April 18, 1961), but relies on tax secrecy, the "right to informal self-determination" and "secret rights" . In addition, the "general interests of foreign relations must be taken into account."
CONCLUSION: "Legislative action is not seen." The money is gone, the coal of the multi-billion dollar guest from Thailand is written off!
The curious politician Tim Pargent only has shrugging regrets, but he could still be annoyed green and blue: "The statements of the CSU finance ministry are understandable, but it is a shame because the Söder government hides behind the tax secret, although it has to admit, that there was a tax liability. "
The king has changed the hotel in the meantime and lives until June 21st in the "Hotel Waldegg" in Engelberg, Switzerland.
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