CYPRUS – THE IDEAL HOLDING COMPANY LOCATION,

ADVANTAGES OF THE CYPRUS TAX SYSTEM

ByMarios EfthymiouSenior Partner

Dinos Antoniou & Co LtdCertified Public Accountants

MAXIMISATION OF NET RETURN THROUGH INTERNATIONAL TAX PLANNING

• GLOBALISATION OF THE WORLD ECONOMY HAS LED TO CROSS BORDER INVESTMENTS AND HAS ENHANCED INTERNATIONAL TRADING

• INVESTORS/BUSINESSMEN ARE INTERESTED IN MAXIMISING NOT JUST THEIR GROSS YIELD BUT THEIR NET RETURN AFTER TAXES

• HENCE MINIMISING THEIR TAX BURDEN THROUGH INTERNATIONAL TAX PLANNING STRUTURES IS SOUGHT

INTERNATIONAL JURISDICTIONS • OFFSHORE JURISDICTIONS ( TAX HEAVENS)

– British Virgin Islands– Belize– Panama– Seychelles– Delaware– And many others

• ONSHORE JURISDICTIONS (TAX BURDEN REDUCED THROUGH COMPLICATED TAX BUSINESS STRUCTURES - HOLDING JURISDICTIONS)– Cyprus– United Kingdom– Luxembourg – Switzerland– Netherlands– Malta

CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING AN INTERNATIONAL JURISDICTION

• TAX BENEFITS AND ABILITY TO APPLY AND SUSTAIN THEM

• POLITICAL STABILITY

• RESPECTABILITY OF THE HOLDING JURISDICTION

• DOUBLE TAXATION TREATIES

• HIGH LEVEL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND RELIABLE BANKING SYSTEM

• ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE COSTS

CYPRUS COMPANIES

• TAX ADVANTAGES – LOWEST TAX RATE IN EUROPE

• MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

• STRATEGIC LOCATION

• HIGH STANDARD OF BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT • TAX SYSTEM IN FULL CONFORMITY TO EUROPEAN LAW & OECD DIRECTIVES AGAINST

HARMFUL TAX PRACTICES

• PAYMENTS FROM CY COMPANIES TO COMPANIES ABROAD ARE NOT SUBJECT TO ANY WITHHOLDING TAX

• TRANSACTIONS WITH OFFSHORE COMPANIES ARE ACCEPTED

• REPUTABLE AND LONGSTANDING INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CENTRE WITH STABLE AND COMMITTED POLICY TOWARDS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES

MAXIMISATION OF NET RETURN THROUGH INTERNATIONAL TAX PLANNING

• GLOBALISATION OF THE WORLD ECONOMY HAS LED TO CROSS BORDER INVESTMENTS AND HAS ENHANCED INTERNATIONAL TRADING

• INVESTORS/BUSINESSMEN ARE INTERESTED IN MAXIMISING NOT JUST THEIR GROSS YIELD BUT THEIR NET RETURN AFTER TAXES

• HENCE MINIMISING THEIR TAX BURDEN THROUGH INTERNATIONAL TAX PLANNING STRUTURES IS SOUGHT

PHILOSOPHY & TAX BASE

PHYSICAL PERSONS

• CYPRUS TAX RESIDENTS ARE TAXED ON THEIR WORLDWIDE INCOME

• NON TAX RESIDENTS ARE ONLY TAXED ON THEIR INCOME EARNED IN CYPRUS

• TAX RESIDENT RULE

A PHYSICAL PERSON IS CONSIDERED CYPRUS TAX RESIDENT IF HE/SHE RESIDES IN THE REPUBLIC OVER 183 DAYS IN A YEAR

PHILOSOPHY & TAX BASELEGAL PERSONS (COMPANIES)

• A CYPRUS TAX RESIDENT COMPANY IS TAXED IN CYPRUS

• A NON TAX RESIDENT CYPRUS COMPANY IS ONLY TAXED ON INCOME EARNED IN CYPRUS

• TAX RESIDENT RULE

MANAGEMENT & CONTROL IN CYPRUS.

IN PRACTICE IT IS CONSIDERED WHERE: THE MAJORITY OF DIRECTORS ARE THE PLACE WHERE THE MAJORITY OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MEETINGS & SIGNIFICANT DECISIONS ARE TAKEN

TAX RATES

Main rateCyprus Tax resident Co’s 10%

Main rateNon - Cyprus Tax resident Co’s 0%

Ship owning – Cyprus flag 0%

Ship owning (foreign flag ships), ship management & ship chartering

Tonnage tax

Trusts 0%

EXEMPTIONS FOR LEGAL ENTITIES

THE FOLLOWING ARE EXEMPTED FROM INCOME TAX:

• PROFITS FROM THE SALE OF SHARES

• INCOME FROM DIVIDENDS

• INCOME FROM INTEREST

SALE OF SHARES

• THE SALE OF SHARES BY CYPRUS COMPANIES ARE TOTALLY EXEMPTED FROM TAX WITHOUT ANY CONDITIONS UNLIKE OTHER COMPETITIVE JURISDICTIONS WHERE THERE ARE LIMITATIONS IN:

THE PERIOD OF HOLDING

THE % OF HOLDING

I.E. IN UK THERE IS NO CAPITAL GAINS TAX ON THE DISPOSAL OF SHARES IN UNDERLYING SUBSIDIARIES IF AT LEAST 10% OF THE SUBSIDIARY CO. IS HELD FOR 2 YEARS

DIVIDENDS RECEIVED

LEGAL ENTITIES• DIVIDENDS RECEIVED BY A CYPRUS RESIDENT COMPANY FROM ANOTHER CYPRUS

RESIDENT COMPANY ARE EXEMPTED FROM ANY TAXATION

• DIVIDENDS RECEIVED BY A CYPRUS COMPANY FROM A COMPANY ABROAD IS ONLY TAXED IF BOTH OF THE BELOW CONDITIONS ARE MET (WHICH IS VERY RARE):

THE COMPANY PAYING THE DIVIDENDS ENGAGES MORE THAN 50% IN ACTIVITIES THAT LEAD TO INVESTMENT INCOMEAND THE FOREIGN TAX BURDEN ON THE INCOME OF THE COMPANY PAYING THE DIVIDENDS IS SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN THE TAX BURDEN OF THE COMPANY IN CYPRUS

PHYSICAL PERSONSDIVIDENDS RECEIVED BY PHYSICAL PERSONS ARE TAXED AT 15% DEFENCE TAX ONLY IF THE RECIPIENTS ARE CYPRUS TAX RESIDENTS

INTEREST RECEIVED

• NON TRADING INTEREST IS EXEMPTED FROM INCOME TAX BUT IS TAXED AT 10% DEFENCE TAX ON THE GROSS AMOUNT

• TRADING INTEREST IS TAXED AT 10% INCOME TAX AFTER DEDUCTING INTEREST EXPENSE AND ALL OTHER COMPANY EXPENSES

TAX ADVANTAGES IDEAL FOR HOLDING COMPANY

• EXEMPTION FROM TAX ON PROFIT GENERATED FROM THE SALE OF SECURITIES

• EXEMPTION FROM TAX ON DIVIDEND RECEIVED WHEN CERTAIN CONDITIONS ARE MET

• EXEMPTION FROM TAX ON THE PROFITS THAT ARISE FROM A PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT ABROAD

• NO WITHHOLDING TAX ON DIVIDENDS RECEIVED FROM A EUROPEAN SUBSIDIARY COMPANY

• LOWER WITHHOLDING TAX ON INCOMING DIVIDENDS PAID BY A NON EU COMPANY WITH WHICH CYPRUS HAS A DOUBLE TAX TREATY

LOSSES

• LOSSES CARRIED FORWARD CAN BE SET OFF AGAINST PROFITS WITHOUT LIMITATION IN TIME

• LOSSES INCURRED ABROAD CAN BE SET OFF AGAINST THE COMPANY’S PROFITS

• LOSSES OF ONE CO IN THE GROUP CAN BE SET OFF AGAINST PROFITS OF ANOTHER CO

VAT (VALUE ADDED TAX)

VAT RATES

• 15%• 8%• 5%• 0%

VAT – INTRACOMMUNITY TRANSACTIONS

ALL MEMBERS OF E.U. HAVE THE SAME VAT LEGISLATION WHICH IS BASED ON THE 8TH E.U. DIRECTIVE

ANY E.U. COMPANY THAT IS INVOLVED IN INTRACOMMUNITY TRANSACTIONS, CHARGES 0% VAT AS LONG AS THE TRANSACTIONS ARE FOR BUSINESS PURPOSES AND ARE BETWEEN VAT REGISTERED COMPANIES

CYPRUS COMPANIES - TRADING

SALES TO:E.U. – INTRACOMMUNITY TRANSACTION (0%)COUNTRIES OUTSIDE E.U. – OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF VAT (NO VAT CHARGED)

PURCHASES FROM:E.U. – INTRACOMMUNITY TRANSACTION (0%)COUNTRIES OUTSIDE E.U. – VAT AT CUSTOMS OF COUNTRY OF IMPORT

CYPRUS COMPANIES - SERVICES

SERVICES RECEIVED FROM:E.U. – 0%COUNTRIES OUTSIDE E.U. – REVERSE CHARGE METHOD - EFFECT IS ZERO VAT

SERVICES RENDERED TO:E.U. – 0%COUNTRIES OUTSIDE E.U. – OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF VAT WITH SOME EXEMPTIONS

VAT - CONCLUSION

CYPRUS COMPANIES USED FOR TRADING ANDRENDERING OF SERVICES BOTH IN EUROPE AND OUTSIDE EUROPE ARE VERY EFFECTIVE VEHICLES. THE VAT CHARGED IS EITHER 0% OR OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF VAT. THIS ENHANCES SIGNIFICANTLY THE CASHFLOW OF THE COMPANY AS WELL AS THE COMPETITIVENESS.

CYPRUS CO’S – A POWERFUL VEHICLE FOR MAXIMIZATION OF NET RETURN

YOU ARE AN ENTERPRENEUR TRYING TO MAXIMIZE NET RETURN?

THEN COMBINE THE ADVANTAGES OF THE VAT WITH THE LOWEST INCOME TAX RATE IN EUROPE AND ALL THE OTHER TAX ADVANTAGES OF THE CYPRUS TAX SYSTEM, THAT A CYPRUS COMPANY CAN OFFER YOU, AND YOU HAVE ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL VEHICLES IN THE WORLD TO ACHIVE IT.

ADD TO ALL THE TAX ADVANTAGES

THE BEAUTIFUL WEATHER OF CYPRUS

AND YOU ARE IN

PARADISE

THANK YOUDinos Antoniou & Co Ltd9 VASSILI MICHAELIDES3026, LIMASSOL-CYPRUSP.O BOX 57048, 3311, LIMASSOL, CYPRUS

TEL. 00357 25 824545FAX. 00357 25 824060

WEB SITE:www.dinoscpa.com.cy EMAIL: marioseft@cytanet.com.cy

CONTACT PERSONS:DINOS ANTONIOU, C.E.O.MARIOS EFTHYMIOU, Senior Partner