New Zealand Offshore

Considering Offshore Tax Jurisdictions, Considering New Zealand.

New Zealand is well known as a safe, stable and secure country which offers considerable benefits to those involved in international tax planning, in fact New Zealand offers an awful lot to those interested in offshore tax jurisdictions for personal and asset protection and privacy.

The New Zealand government has implemented various changes to encourage greater investment in their country, including certain tax incentives which only serve to highlight the overall positive attitude New Zealand has, making New Zealand offshore one of the best international financial centres in the offshore banking and investment arenas.

For example, a New Zealand resident company, usually tax liable, can operate as a tax free New Zealand offshore company if structured carefully.  A New Zealand ‘Special Purpose Company’ structured as the trustee of a non-resident New Zealand trust is not taxable and the trust and its beneficiaries are also non-taxable, except on income sourced in New Zealand.

If the New Zealand ‘offshore’ company and trust have no connection to New Zealand whatsoever, then the entire structure is non-taxable in New Zealand; and if you consider the fact that the company owner and trust beneficiary can be the same person, you can see how this structure can prove attractive when it comes to the offshore formation of a company.

One added benefit of establishing such a company structure in New Zealand is the fact that once established the company is generally free to do business, open bank accounts, or invest anywhere in the world.  It becomes, in effect, a tax free offshore company but without the “tax haven” implications of the traditional offshore centres. 

With the addition of the trust feature, the New Zealand ‘offshore’ company further benefits from the asset protection nature of the trust, as funds and assets can be moved into and out of the trust as required.

If you would like to find out more about tax havens and the benefits of offshore investment for asset protection for example, we have a wealth of information on this site.  We also have access to some of the best qualified offshore advisers in the business and can put you in touch with them.  Simply complete our offshore advice form.

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