Monday, January 5, 2009

The Basics Of Offshore Bank Accounts

By Benjamin Mulletonin

Offshore banking accounts are typically located in a jurisdiction, or a jurisdiction with a reduced tax burden on the offshore bank account depositor. Offshore accounts are administered by banks and offer well known banking services which make it more convenient to utilize the assets held in the accounts for everyday spending, receipt and distribution of funds. An offshore account can normally be established with not much effort. We always recommend the offshore account be opened taking advantage of a corporate, foundation or trust structure. For large number of clients it may be practical to open the offshore account in a country situated closer to the place of the actual business of the IBC or to the actual local branch of its beneficial owners.

Offshore banking accounts are generally opened under the name of offshore companies or IBCs. Offshore bank accounts should be opened with an initial deposit to activate your banking account. Many offshore banks have to have large sums of funds as a deposit, and there can be costly annual membership and maintenance fees if you don't understand all the terms of the account contract. Typically offshore bank accounts can be opened with as little as $1000 for deposit. Offshore banks are the easiest proper way to make sure no one can ever seize your assets, while keeping your tax bills as low as legitimately possible. A large number of offshore banks have strict rules for disclosing personal information recognized as banking secrecy. However, there is currently a trend where offshore banks are providing formal data to authorities when there is evidence of serious crimes or acts of terrorism. Although the level of security and opportunities for larger returns will vary with each offshore bank, you can expect to look for one that best suits your needs with a little basic research. To open a corporate bank account for an offshore IBC, all reputable banks will have to have detailed private and business info from the owners and controllers of the offshore account. While the banks are required to know their customers in detail, banking secrecy remains a fundamental cornerstone in all offshore monetary centres, and certainly in Panama (our recommended tax haven).

Release of banking data to any overseas party or government is not possible, unless ordered by a court in the jurisdiction where your bank account resides. Opening an offshore bank account in a tax haven with bullet proof banking privacy laws is a good tax haven to begin your asset protection strategy implementation. In a large number of cases, you neither have to visit the offshore tax haven in which you wish to bank, nor do you have to travel to the country to maintain your account in good standing or perform bank account maintenance.

Banks located in much more developed countries onshore typically have stricter banking and reporting laws. Banks have to constantly reduce the amount of concern offered to clients in order to meet the profit margins expected via their shareholders. Offshore banks tend to have a lower overhead due to less government regulation. This translates into them being able to offer high interest than domestic banks which tend to have higher operating costs. When searching for an offshore banking account supplier make sure they have on - line banking as well as the resources to send multi-national wire transfers, check amounts left, history and alternate information and that they all have English speakers. The standard set of Corporation documentation (if properly certified via notary and legalised via Apostille) combined with private information for banking account signatories will generally satisfy the formal requirements of most banks to get up with a corporate bank account. The account signatory will be protected by banking privacy laws and any bank account activity such as wires will be performed in the name of the IBC shielding you personally.

The tax-free status of the tax haven being used is regularly a major consideration. But the point is, these tax havens have set themselves up exclusively to provide sound financial services to those whom want to protect their funds. The challenge is that tax collecting authorities have frequently attempted to describe offshore accounts as being associated with tax escaping, money laundering, criminal enterprises or terrorism. The US tax collection authorities, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), estimate that this past year they missed $40B in tax receipts due to the existence of offshore accounts and offshore financial centers. The challenge is, since September 11, 2001 a large number of tax authorities have used the opportunity written in the crisis to levy addition scrutiny on offshore bank accounts, offshore banks and offshore monetary centers. To be rated a good country there should be no taxes on offshore-derived earnings and the tax haven must be free of tax treaties.

The advancements of global commerce and the internet have permitted for greater benefits to offshore bank account holders. An offshore bank account has definite advantages over a local one, and is considerably easy to get. Since the offshore account is a key component of any asset protection structure you must be diligent to make sure your assets are guaranteed in a strong bank in a stable country with strong banking secrecy laws. An offshore bank account combined with an offshore Company is usually the starting point for people whom are interested in protecting their funds from debt collectors. - 15790

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