Your Offshore e-Business Advantage

The Internet has given us the ‘Global Village’, revolutionised trade and commerce, continues to change the way business is conducted and provides new opportunities every day.

Surprisingly, whilst those in business install solutions to use the Internet to gain access to lower cost “models”, they often overlook the greatest opportunity it affords.

Financial advantages can be gained by identifying those aspects of business activity that are better situated in other geographic locations. This often involves the segregation of certain operational functions that are to be run under the umbrella of an offshore trading company. The effects of re-engineering a business or setting up a new business in this way can lead to dramatic changes to the balance sheet. These advantages include but are not limited to the elimination or reduction of Corporation / Income Tax, VAT and Capital Gains Tax. There could be other advantages in areas such as confidentiality, health promotion, marketing, regulation and so on.

Many ignore this opportunity, even when the financial and other benefits are self-evident. The (perceived) areas of concern that typically cause trepidation include:
 

• The cost and complexity of company incorporation

• The requirements of and/or limitations on staff

• The quality of the Internet/telecommunications infrastructure

• Outsourcing fulfilment activities (where physical goods are supplied)
   

Jersey has been a highly regarded international finance centre for over forty years and a sizeable local industry has developed devoted to the provision of company administration and corporate services. Professional advice, gained from extensive practical experience is available via a well-established network of legal and accountancy firms (including the “big four”). Investment in the provision of secure world-class telecommunication and web-hosting facilities is substantial and impressive. The growth of this type of business has resulted in the development of secure credit card processing and sophisticated fulfilment services including front-end call centre enquiries, credit card and cheque clearance through to back-end fulfilment, despatch, returns, enquiries, administration etc. As a result Jersey is now recognised as the leading offshore e-business centre in the world.