Going offshore with a company, having concealed bank accounts in foreign countries and the like were once the domain of the affluent in the society. Imagine a Swiss bank account, having a marvelous residence in Monaco, and the Ronny Biggs in Brazil – these are items that only a few super rich members of the society could afford. However, times have really changed and through the internet, accessibility to tax reduction assistance and methods (for instance going offshore) has not only become possible, but has also become a reality to all types of average investors.
So why going offshore? Currently, information is king and many governments the world over are using the terrorism threat to spy into the private affairs of their citizens. A respite from all this had to be found; and there’s no better than going offshore. But what really is an offshore company or an offshore corporation? Well, it is a completely separate legal entity that may carry out business activities, own assets and other properties, pay debts, takes care of its liabilities and which can also be singularly be sued.
Saving on taxes may seem obvious to the majority of people. Nevertheless, it is the most important reason for offshore investing and is mostly done through offshore companies or offshore corporations. For instance, if you are a United States of America or a United Kingdom resident, you are aware that you are governed by a tax regime that taxes every cent that comes your way, either through your employment income or your business income. It really doesn’t matter where you are based in the world; you have to remit your tax to the taxman. This means that even those business people or individuals who earn their money from an offshore business operation are liable to remit taxes and at the prevailing rates.
The main advantage of having an offshore bank account is its potential to earn some considerable amounts of interest over time. This is normally through the roll up of interest due to the passage of time. Tax would be payable if an individual deposited the money in cash or if returned to the investor’s country of residence. Offshore companies or offshore corporations offer a wider scope when it comes to investment options. Due to the methods utilized when distributing the income, for instance by the use a visa cards and other offshore investment vehicles, individuals are able to conduct most of their investment strategies without ever having a tax liability in their countries of residence.
As aforementioned in the opening paragraph, the places mostly associated with offshore investing are such as Monaco, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Panama and Guatemala. Actually, Panama and Guatemala have the most advanced and developed privacy laws and are second to none. Due to this reason and due to the stabilization of these countries’ economy and politics, they have come to be the most sought after offshore investment destinations in the world and are where most offshore companies have operation branches. Basically, these two have the tightest privacy laws and clients are assured of tax free offshore transactions, and this suits their unique personal offshore investment requirements.