Offshore Tax Haven's Days Numbered with Recent OECD Agreements

Posted: 31 Mar 2009 | 9:47 am

Continued pressure by both the US and EU on the exchange of tax information by OECD

(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) standards looks to make a dent in the use of offshore companies formed in tax havens. Recent jurisdictions looking to see implementation over the short term include Hong Kong, Singapore, Isle of Man, Caymen Islands and Lichtenstein. The former had been included on the list of uncooperative tax havens with Andorra and Monaco.

Leaders of the G20 late last year agreed this to be a priority issue in addressing international cross border tax evasion. In the past many offshore purchasers of luxury residential and resort properties had used SPV's (specific project vehicles) or companies set up for the purpose of holding single assets. Must of the recent pressure on the offshore havens initially came with the rise in terrorism and money laundering.

In Thailand which has many dual taxation treaties there remain many beneficial advantages to a well structured and planned set-up, but professional tax advice should always be sought when making these types of decisions.

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