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Tuesday, October 07th, 2008
Summary: Discover whether an offshore company structure could benefit you and how to get all the help you need with formation
Would you agree that at first glance the consideration of the establishment of an offshore company structure seems relatively simple? After all, it’s easy to understand that an offshore company is an entity which can help some people reduce their tax burden, which can help others with cross border business transactions and which many people can incorporate within an overall asset protection and wealth management strategy.
However, when it comes to determining where and how to set up an offshore company everything begins to look a little less than transparent doesn’t it? Especially when you realise that the primary companies offering offshore company formations are doing so in a single jurisdiction or are providing a basic merchant service rather than a value added advice and full assistance service. But don’t panic, we’re here to help you determine what sort of offshore structure you need and which jurisdiction to select for the formation of your offshore company.
As stated, as soon as you begin searching on the internet or in classifieds in business and financial publications for companies offering offshore company formation and incorporation services you begin to realise that the primary companies available seem to specialise in either one jurisdiction or else they offer a one-stop-shop solution to off-the-shelf offshore company purchase.
For some people who know exactly what it is they require, who have all the nominee services and administrative facilities in place already to make their company secure and effective and who have a strict purchase and incorporation budget in mind, these types of formation service company are fine…but for the rest of us they fall very far short of the mark.
What’s worse is the fact that the offshore world really has moved on a pace in recent years and what traditional incorporation specialists used to class as the only criteria worth considering in relation to a given jurisdiction’s suitability are no longer truly the only criteria that you should bear in mind.
New legislation, increased regulation, decreasing flexibility and ongoing international compliance obligations mean that where once one needed to only look at the political and economic stability of a location alongside local legislation, company structure types available, local laws, banking opportunities available and the communication and infrastructure backbones of an offshore centre, now one has to consider the likes of : -
1) Whether bearer shares are available
2) Whether corporate directors are permissible
3) The level of nominee service allowed versus that required
4) eCommerce and merchant account acceptance, provision and availability
5) Permissible banking and investment activity both locally within the jurisdiction, and for and on behalf of an offshore company incorporated therein
6) Dominant business, legal and spoken languages
7) The EU Savings Tax Directive
8) The Financial Action Task Force list of “Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories” and the OECD list of “Uncooperative Tax Havens”
At ShelterOffshore, instead of attempting to do our due diligence on the primary companies offering offshore company formations in each and every jurisdiction in the world on an ongoing basis, we favour a single service provider expert in wealth preservation and enhancement, cross border business facilitation and international tax and financial planning. This company is the leader in their field and they offer offshore company formation or trust creation services for example in every single legitimate offshore jurisdiction in the world - instead of simply ‘selling’ you a one size fits all solution, they work with you, the individual client, to determine your requirements and the opportunities available to you and they are then 100% instrumental in getting the most ideal offshore company structure or international fiscal plan in place to benefit you to the maximum.
If you would like to discuss or explore the options available to you with our strategic partner, consider us your primary offshore company formation facilitator and click here get in touch with us immediately to take advantage of our unique level of service – we will put you in touch directly with the offshore specialists we have allied with.
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