h20ho, Author at h20ho Papers

September 28, 2012

Thai Bar Girl

She was a Thai bar girl. She was like all the others in one way and different in others. Same same as the expression goes – but different. Her shiny jet black hair crawled down to the nape of her back and covered up a naked stretch of milky brown skin that reached from her neck down to just below her hips. She smelt so good.

Don’t they all.

She was waiting. She was waiting for someone. Who knows who it was but they weren’t coming, or at least not yet.

She’d been standing there in a Kate Moss pose, like a diamond shining in the rough for the last hour. Standing on 3 inch high heels while rats scurried under her feet into the stinking Bangkok sewers below, she never flinched as motorbike taxis and drunken tuk tuks sped passed her at high speed missing her formula 1 quality curves by inches.

She seemed to be getting angrier, that Thai bar girl. It’s a mystery how anyone would keep an angel of that magnitude waiting, ever.

Then it happened. Whatever it was, it made that Thai bar girl melt. She loosened up and her angry stance faded into the brightness of her dress as the corners of her mouth jumped up towards her ear lobes and her ride arrived.

As that Thai bar girl stepped onto the motorbike she looked over. Like a tourist only interested in Bangkok hotels with girls, there was something in her eyes, something wild, something alive, and something so sexy that that was only the beginning. It certainly couldn’t be the end.

September 10, 2012September 10, 2012

PAN Card Application for NRI

A PAN Card application for NRI can be obtained from http://www.utitsl.co.in or from an IT PAN Service Center. Re-printed or photocopied forms from originals will be rejected. The nonresident Indian should use black ink when filling in the form and signing the application and the form can be submitted from inside or outside India.

A recent 3.5 cm X 2.5 cm colored photograph should be pasted to the application. Do not staple or clip the photo. The photo will be used for the image on the PAN Card and a low quality image will affect the quality of the photo on the PAN Card. If using a thumb print, the thumb print must be accompanied by the official seal or stamp of a Gazetted officer, Magistrate or Notary Public.

When filling in the application, each square box whenever provided should only contain one character whether a letter, number or punctuation sign and you should leave one box empty after each word. The addressing officer (AO) and area codes need to be filled in by the applicant. If required, please consult with an IT PAN Service Center for help with these codes before submitting a PAN Card Application for NRI.

When filling in the full name use capital letters. Do not abbreviate, use initials or nicknames for the ‘full name’ section in the form. As well, do not use titles and leave a blank box between names. The name printed on the PAN Card cannot be longer than 25 letters. If your full name is longer than 25 letters then you should abbreviate your name, but do not use nick names or aliases. You can use initials or suitable abbreviated names. When filling out the earlier name section follow the same instructions as the full name section.

Father’s name is to be filled out in the same fashion as the full name and earlier name sections. Do not put husband’s name. This section is only applicable to individuals.

The date of birth section should follow the day, month and year format using numbers with day and month using two digits. If you were born in January the number would be 01 and if you were born on the sixth day use 06. For an individual use your actual date of birth, for companies use date of incorporation, for association of persons use the date of creation or formation, for trusts or association of Person use date of creation or trust deed, for partnership companies use date of partnership deed and for Hindu undivided family (HUF) use date of created of HUF.

The registration no. section is not applicable to individuals or HUF applications. Companies should state their registration number as issued by the Registrar of Companies and other applicant should state their registration number as issued by any state or central government authority.

For the salaried employee section write the name of the employing organization. Use the relevant code corresponding to your profession or business as found in the list attached in the general information of PAN applicants overleaf. Applicants not employed by an organization or covered in the list of professional or business codes list must mention their source of income and why they are applying for a PAN card in the ‘others’ section.

Nonresidents, minors as well as others can be represented by a representative assessee as stipulated in section 160 of the IT Act of 1961. The representative assessee information is stated in the name and address of the representative assessees section where applicable. All other information on the application will contain details of the person under whose behalf the application is being submitted for except for this one section. If a representative assessee is being utilized then the representative assessee will sign the application form.

Finally, in the enclosures section you list the documents that you will attach with the application and will serve as a proof of Identity and address. A list of acceptable documents can be found in the general information for PAN applicants attached with the application form.

Documents required for proof of identification and addresses for individuals outside India at the time of the application are a copy of passport (Identification), Copy of passport for proof of address, copy of bang account in country of residence, copy of nonresident external (NRE) bank account statement with at least two customer induced transactions within the last six month period attested by an Indian Embassy or High commission or consulate in the applicants current country.

For foreign citizens residing in India at the time of a PAN application you will need to provide, for proof of identity, a copy of passport or a copy of Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card issued by the government of India and for proof of address any copy of your passport, bank account in India, residential permit issued by a State Police Authority, Registration certificate from a Foreigner’s Registration officer, Government of India issued PIO card copy, NRE Bang account statement with at least two customer induced transactions within the last six months as attested by an Indian embassy, high commission or consulate officer.

For foreign citizens residing outside of India at the time of application for proof of identification use a copy of your passport, copy of National ID or copy of PIO card. For proof of address use copy of passport, copy of national ID, Bang account statement in country of residence, PIO card or NRE bang account statement with at least two transactions within the last six months.

For non-individuals having an office in India you can use any document in respect to Karta of HUF, copy of the certificate of registration issued by the Registrar of firms or Partnership deed for companies, copy of trust deed or certificate of registration issued by Charity Commission. For AOP, BOI, Local Authorities, or AJPs use a copy of registration issued by the Charity Commission, Registrar of Co-operative Society, any competent authority or any Central State Government Department document that establishes the identity and address of the applicant.

For entities having an office in India use a copy of the registration in India, approval granting the setup of an office in India by Indian authorities, home country registration certificate attested to by Indian embassy, high commission, consulate or Apostille in their home country.

If you have already have a PAN card or have already submitted a PAN card application for NRI, then you can check the status of your card or application by using the PAN Card status Enquiry India Government website.

September 3, 2012September 3, 2012

Service Apartment in Bangkok

A service apartment in Bangkok is an apartment that has a service like hotel rooms do, that is, your bed linen is supplied and cleaned and your apartment comes with maid service. To a foreigner, Bangkok is mysterious, ancient and different and a service apartment in Bangkok is no different. For some this is great and for others this is not so great.

Some say that a serviced apartment is like having a maid or living in a hotel, whist others might think that living in a hotel permanently is horrible. There are both good points and bad points to this. Having a maid can be great if they are professional and not expensive.

In Bangkok, an overwhelming percentage of locals live in single rooms, usually small and inexpensive. From a foreign perspective this might seem odd and unpleasant to live in a small single room. In Bangkok, many of the locals will live in these rooms with two or three people. Most westerners have been raised to appreciate and expect a certain amount of privacy so this can be a bit of a shock to realize that you don’t have any privacy.

On the other hand, living in the west can be lonely and always having someone around you is one of the many different social and cultural aspects of Thailand that filters off into the social make-up of families. In families in Thailand, the oldest males usually stay at home even after being married and dowries are paid for females to leave households.

Even though a service apartment in Bangkok is common, it goes against the majority of locals’ lifestyle that only live in a single room which has no need for a maid service. Families that live in serviced apartments are usually from out of town or country and are foreigners. Sometimes it’s difficult to get a 3 or 4 bedroom apartment in Bangkok and when you do, they come with a maid service whether you want it or not.

Serviced apartments, like most services in Thailand, do not come about by need or desire, but because they create employment and can increase profits. Oddly, some services that are offered in Thailand don’t have the person who is receiving the service’s interest in mind, but the person earning income’s interest in mind. This takes a bit of getting used to from a western perspective and is one of the reasons that westerners feel that things are ‘backwards’ in Thailand.

A service apartment in Bangkok is normal. As additional income is generated by adding this service, it doesn’t appear like this practice is going to go away anytime soon. You can find either an apartment or a service apartment in Bangkok if you search through apartment websites like Bangkok Condominiums.

August 29, 2012

PAN Card No

A PAN Card No is a number that is associated with a tax-paying person in India. The PAN Card No is similar to the Social Security Number in the US or the Social Insurance Number in Canada. This is the main number you will be associated with in regard to the Indian Government.

PAN is an acronym for Permanent Account Number. Citizens are only allowed to have one PAN for them individually. The PAN is a 10 digit alpha-numeric number with 5 letters, then 4 numbers then one final letter. It is a criminal offence to have more than one PAN Card no or use another person’s PAN number. It is an offence to apply for a new PAN number if you already have a PAN.

It is also illegal to knowingly use a number that is not valid. Data can be changed and another card with the proper information will be dispatched. The number on the new card will be the same as the original number. It is possible to be able to verify that a number is fake or invalid if you know that format of the structure of the PAN.

You can change the number if you have personal reasons that warrant the number to be changed. This requires a form to be completed in full and fees to be paid. The application is submitted and then you need to wait for the processing to be completed.

PAN is not mandatory if you make no income. If you earn income, have taxable income, want to buy a car, want to buy land or hook up utilities or even use PayPal, you need to have a PAN number. It is in your best interest to get a PAN before you need it. It is safe to say that every Indian citizen will need a PAN as some point in their life.

A PAN and PAN Card are distributed by the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL). All issuances of cards are performed by the NSDL. All data correction are submitted and processed through the NSDL as well. If you lose, destroy or have your PAN Card stolen, it is your responsibility and in your best interests to contact local authorities and make a statement.

In addition, you should contact local authorities if you suspect someone of using a fake or other person’s PAN.

If you submit a PAN Card Enquiry you can find data associated with a PAN Card No, if the number is valid or if the status of the card is valid or not.

August 29, 2012

PAN No Verification

You might have a need to perform a PAN no verification. If you forget your number, if you are unsure of your own number, if your card has been lost, destroyed, stolen or if you wish to verify someone else’s number because you suspect it is fake and need to verify their identification.

The PAN no verification process has changed over the past 50 years. The public no longer take advantage of this option. Only a few years ago, this functionality was available to the general public. There are still ways to access the PAN no verification process. Today, the functionality is only available to qualified, registered, approved organizations and you will need to go through them.

There are three ways to perform a PAN no verification. The first method is for when you want to verify your own number which you should be able to do easily. You can do this online at the Government of India Income Tax Department website portal. You need your first, middle and last name as it is on file, as well as your birthdate and your father’s first, middle and last name. In addition, you can perform this task at the Income Tax department of India.

Another way to verify if a PAN no is valid is to have an agency do it for you. Many agencies have authorization to do this. You can contact the Government of India Income Tax Department and get them to verify the PAN Card for you. As well, you can submit a grievance. This will provide you a PAN number is or is not valid.

A more difficult third way is to manually verify the format of the number. You need to be aware that a person uses a nickname that is or is not on the PAN Card. In addition, their PAN card can be registered to a company name. You need to know the PAN Card format. The Pan format is specifically formatted and follows its own rules.

PAN no verification is a simple straight forward operation. You can submit a PAN Card Enquiry or if your card has been destroyed lost or if your card has been stolen you can follow how to get duplicate PAN Card if you need your card reissued.