PRESENTATION
Belize is a small Central American country located south of Mexico and east of Guatemala.
Known in its day as British Honduras, this democratic state independent of theCommonwealth has a stable government and an economy based primarily on production andagricultural exports (Trade with the US, Mexico and Europe, among others).
This jurisdiction is one of the most flexible in the world when it comes to tax optimization andIt offers important advantages for the creation of offshore companies.
However, the exotic image of the country and the possible reluctance of customers must be taken into account,partners and suppliers to maintain business relationships with a company located in Belize.
SOCIETY CREATION
The advantages of the creation of a company in Belize are mainly the speed of the registration of thesociety (24 hours) and total confidentiality (The name of the members is not published in theCommercial Registry).
The type of company most frequently used in Belize is the "International Business Company"(IBC) (In the form of private limited liability companies) due to the great flexibility andconfidentiality offered to directors / managers and shareholders.
There are no limitations regarding the number of shareholders, their residence or theirnationality. A single shareholder may be enough but it is necessary to have twomanagers / directors.
• There is no minimum capital requirement nor is it mandatory to "lock" it in a bank account. The partsthey can be registered or bearer and can be in any currency.
• The companies are adapted to all types of legal activity and can be carried outactivities related to finance, online games, banking or insurance after obtaining thecorresponding license. A company can carry out several activities.
• Companies cannot do business with local companies.
• Companies cannot own real estate in Belize, beyond theintended for professional use.
• Companies can be managed from another country. For example, all meetingsshareholder officers and managers can be held abroad.
TAXATION
One of the most attractive tax regimes in the offshore world.
Belize's tax system is characterized by the absence of corporate taxes for companiesNon-resident companies whose profits come from abroad (They are only subject to taxlocal income) and because of its high confidentiality.
Belize has signed some agreements that allow it to facilitate operations carried out in theForeign:
• Legal Assistance Treaty with the United States (To fight against tax fraud, it allowsthe exchange of information on directors and shareholders).
• Double taxation agreements with the United Kingdom, Sweden, Austria, Denmark and the countries of theCaribbean Community (CARICOM).
• A company created in Belize does not pay any tax or duty on profits, oron dividends or capital gains obtained. You simply have to pay a fixed annual feedepending on your capital.
• There is no right of succession on the transfer of shares in the event ofdeath of one of the shareholders of a non-resident company.
Discretion: from the registration of the bylaws of the company, all the relative informationto the beneficial owner, the administrator / director or the shareholder is delivered to the agentresident / secretary. The agent is prohibited from giving this information to third parties.
The only information available in the Public Registry is the statutes of the company.
• Accounting: Since September 2013 (Law No. 18-2013), companies are obliged tomaintain and preserve accounting documents for a minimum period of 5 years.
Every entity / society is obliged to present, as decided by its agent, a documentwriting in which the physical address is indicated in which the accounting documents aremaintain and have been registered.
Any change of said address must be notified within a maximum period of 14 days fromof the modification date.