Types of company


The following types of company are commonly utilised
in corporate structuring:

· Very low or zero tax companies - these are registered in offshore financial centres, such as the British Virgin Islands, Belize, Anguilla, Seychelles and the Marshall Islands.

· Entities registered in jurisdictions, which offer two
types of entity – onshore and offshore, i.e. Hong Kong
and Mauritius.

· Entities registered in onshore jurisdictions, which offer a specific tax regime for particular tax planning purposes, including holding companies, international headquarter companies, double tax treaty access companies. The main onshore locations are the UK, Portugal, Singapore, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

· Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) or Limited Liability Partnerships (UK LLPs). These types of entity have the advantage of limited company (limited liability of
members) and characteristics of a partnership (they are taxed as partnerships).

If all the members of an LLC or an LLP are non-tax resident in the country of incorporation of the LLC or LLP, and no business is undertaken in that country, neither the LLC or LLP, nor the members or partners, will be subject to tax in the company's country of establishment. The examples are: UK LLP, Isle of Man LLC or USA LLCs. The term "fiscally transparent" is used to describe such vehicles.