Monday, April 8, 2013

List of Tax Havens

A tax haven doesn't have an exact definition, but it is characterized by: low taxes, lack of effective exchange of information, lack of transparency, and no requirement of substantial activity in the jurisdiction.

These are the Big 7, according to a 1994 paper:
Hong Kong
Ireland
Lebanon
Liberia
Panama
Singapore
Switzerland

Here is a list by region:

Caribbean/West Indies/Atlantic
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Turks and Caicos, U.S. Virgin Islands, Bermuda, CuracaoSint Maarten, Jamaica

Central/South America
Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Uruguay

East Asia
Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia (Labuan), Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Mongolia

Europe/Mediterranean
Andorra, Austria, Channel Islands (Guernsey, Jersey, Sark), Cyprus, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, Campione d'Italia, Madeira (Portugal)

Indian Ocean
Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles

Middle East
Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, UAE

Pacific
Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Nauru, Niue, Tonga, Vanuatu

Africa
Liberia, Morocco (Tangier Exportation Free Zone), Djibouti, Ghana

==================================================
What is THE top tax haven today?  Probably the British Virgin Islands.  Over 40% of all the offshore companies in the world are located in the BVI, and many Chinese businessmen set up their companies in the BVI.  But the banking infrastructure of the BVI is underdeveloped (it has only 7 banks) so most BVI companies bank elsewhere, mostly in the Cayman Islands or Singapore.

What are the other leading tax havens?
Cayman Islands - has 75% of the world's hedge funds.  The Cayman Islands and other Caribbean Banking Centers own over $200 billion of US Treasuries.
Bermuda - leader in insurance, with over 1/3 of the world's leading insurance companies located there
Jersey - favorite tax haven of the City of London
Mauritius - the emerging financial capital of Africa
Singapore - ranked 4th among global financial centers in the world (behind London, New York and Hong Kong).  Many Hong Kong and Singapore financial advisers recommend that their clients register businesses in the BVI.

Cyprus would have been on this list until the recent banking crisis destroyed confidence in it.

==============================================
Luxembourg is the EU's top tax haven. "Luxembourg's government says that 141 banks from 26 countries have settled there.  For decades, Luxembourg has cultivated its reputation as an investor's safe haven. Around 2.1 trillion euros ($2.73 trillion) are held by Luxembourg's investment banks."

===============================================
The Top 10 according to the Tax Justice Network:
10. Bahrain
9. Germany
8. Japan
7. Jersey
6. Singapore
5. USA
4. Hong Kong
3. Luxembourg
2. Cayman Islands
1. Switzerland

==============================================
The Top 10 according to Forbes:
10. Delaware
9. Luxembourg
8. Switzerland
7. Cayman Islands
6. City of London
5. Ireland
4. Bermuda
3. Singapore
2. Belgium
1. Hong Kong

Belgium?
============================================
And yet another list:
10. Bahamas
9. Nevada
8. Wyoming
7. Gibraltar
6. Bermuda
5. Switzerland
4. Cayman Islands
3. British Virgin Islands
2. Hong Kong
1. Channel Islands

No comments:

Post a Comment