Tax Haven | Make An Informed Choice Of Tax Haven Jurisdiction

Tax Haven: To choose to look at confidentiality, cost, ease of communication, the complexity of the incorporation and speed of response

Tax Haven: How will you know which is the top offshore incorporation jurisdiction for you? Why would you need an offshore company? And how would you choose a tax haven?

Generally, top jurisdiction choices are made on the basis of confidentiality, cost, ease of communication, the complexity of the incorporation e.g. trusts, protected cell companies, resident companies or simple International Business Companies (IBCs), and speed of response.

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Tax haven: Get a free quote now by filling in the box on the right and discover how you would choose a jurisdiction

Tax Haven: There are different types of jurisdictions

1. Well established, full service, expensive, can handle complex incorporation, require extensive Know Your Client (KYC) due diligence, and are manned by very experienced professionals. e.g. Switzerland, Guernsey.

2. Full service, focused on international business companies, with experienced professionals, require extensive Know Your Client due diligence, but without the glamour of a Switzerland, but not so expensive. e.g. British Virgin Islands (BVI).

3. Established only in the last 15 years with extensive tax treaties with selected countries, less extensive KYC due diligence can handle complex incorporation but have less experience than their European counterparts, are less formal and less expensive. e.g. Mauritius.

4. Established in the last 10 years, simple KYC documentation, focused on International Business Companies (IBC), have better confidentiality norms because are not so big and do not have disclosure treaties with the US or EU. e.g. Seychelles.

A lot though depends on what you are going to use the company for! Below is a table that will help you reach your decision for your top offshore jurisdiction.

Type	Full Service	Complex transactions	KYC complexity	Ease of Communication	Cost
Switzerland	Yes	Yes	High	High	High
Guernsey	Yes – focused on financial services	Yes	High	High	High
BVI	Yes but IBC focus	Yes	High	Medium	Medium
Mauritius	Yes. Focused on resident companies with tax treaties	Yes	Medium	Medium	Medium
Seychelles	Focused on IBC	Medium	Low	Medium	Low

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tax haven: Get a free quote now by filling in the box on the right and discover how you would choose a jurisdiction

Tax Haven: But which kind of company do you need?

Do you want to invest in India or China or a specific country? Or is it for trading overseas? Or another reason?

Why Incorporation	What Do I Need?
Type of Activity	Full Service?	Complex transactions?	KYC complexity?	Ease of Communication?	Cost
Professional Services	IBC only	No	No	Low	Low
Trading	IBC only	No	No	Low	Low
Investment	IBC or Tax treaty company depending on investment size	Maybe	Yes if tax treaty company	High	High
Holding	IBC or tax treaty company depending on country of investment	Yes, if large and investments in multiple countries	Yes	High	High
Dot Com	IBC only	No	No	Low	Low
Property-Owning	IBC only	No	No	Low	Low
Shipping	IBC only – but choose a shipping jurisdiction e.g. Panama	No	Medium	Medium	Medium
Employment	IBC only	No	No	Low	Low
Intellectual Property & Royalty	IBC only	No	No	Low	Low
Asset Protection	IBC or Trusts	No if IBC. High if Trust	High	High	High
Will & Inheritance	Trusts	Yes	High	High	High
Multiple Investors in Projects	Protected Cell Companies	Yes	High	Medium	High

Tax haven: Get a free quote now by filling in the box on the right and discover how you would choose a jurisdiction

Tax Haven: Making a choice for your top offshore jurisdiction is dependent on various factors as also anonymity.

Mauritius and Seychelles have followed in Switzerland’s footsteps and made it a criminal offense to disclose client information to anyone.

However, since 9/11, both the US and EU have put severe pressure on most of the popular jurisdictions to disclose information.

British Virgin Islands (BVI) has signed a comprehensive treaty and Mauritius a water down version. In any case, both Seychelles and Mauritius are far enough away and not very important to either the EU or the US at this time.

I recommend Seychelles as the top offshore jurisdiction for most of the simple cases and Mauritius for the more complicated requirements. However, if you are more comfortable with the ‘Old World’ tax havens, then the top offshore jurisdictions are Switzerland for the complicated cases and BVI for the simple ones.

Tax haven: Get a free quote now by filling in the box on the right and discover how you would choose a jurisdiction

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