well hopefully Thailand will re-think this since they are struggling for money just like everyone else in the world is. Lots of Central and South American countries are really opening up their visa policy to encourage long-term residents.
Just before Covid locked everything down there was an exodus of sorts from Chiang Mai to where I currently live in Vietnam because of ever-increasing complications around visas.
I had a work permit in Thailand for over a decade, then I decided to be self-employed and the problems began :(
Yeah I can imagine a lot of paperwork, headaches and all kinds just for something that should be relatively easy! Starting a business here is hard when doing it properly - almost like it's not worth it - having said that, some have managed very well but im sure it was a hard slog and cost a lot to get to that point.