Special
Reports
While our previous feature provided some insight into the trends driving offshore e-commerce and e-gaming, and descriptions of the legislation in place in some of the industry's major jurisdictions, in this feature we ro...
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With its low tax, business friendly ‘E-Zone’ legislation, advanced telecommunications infrastructure, and sophisticated business environment, the Caribbean island of Curaçao is now a very attractive proposition for e-com...
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The rapid advances in communications technology and the growth of the Internet over the past decade means that it is now possible to conduct business from virtually anywhere on the planet.
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Special
Reports
by First Atlantic Commerce, Bermuda
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KNOWLEDGEBASE
FACT
FILE
A thorough reference
file of up-to-date information compiled by our
expert editors and arranged in easily accessible
sections. The fact file covers taxation and regulation
of offshore e-commerce, the facilities and services
needed, and reviews the business sectors and functions
which can make use of offshore e-commerce
- Taxation
of Offshore E-commerce
- Regulation
of Offshore E-commerce
- Offshore
E-commerce Facilities
- Offshore
Professional and Financial Services
- Offshore
E-commerce Applications
JURISDICTIONS
The jurisdictions
section of Offshore-e-com.com has in-depth analyses
of e-commerce in three leading jurisdictions -
Bermuda, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man - and has
links to summaries of e-commerce development in
25 other offshore jurisdictions
- Jurisdictions
Menu
E-COMMERCE
GLOSSARY
The Offshore-e-com.com
glossary explains the meaning of many abbreviations
and technical terms met with in offshore e-commerce
- Full Glossary
BUSINESS
GUIDE
No-one likes to pay
too much tax, and the overall burden of tax in
the world's larger business jurisdictions is heavy
not just in itself, but also imposes substantial
and worsening administrative burdens on a business.
Regulation in general just gets more and more
complex, in addition.
Prior to the Internet, there was little that most
types of business could do to rduce tax and regulation,
although individual owners were often able to
go 'offshore' with the proceeds of their work,
and increasingly did so as tax levels rose. Individual
tax levels have fallen back to some extent, and
in some countries, but the taxman has become more
efficient, and the classical equation of working
onshore and enjoying offshore becomes ever harder
to sustain.
The Internet has
changed the equation, and this site attempts to
explain why and how almost all businesses can
substantially reduce their tax bills and preserve
wealth by taking advantage of offshore e-commerce.
This section in particular offers practical help
in choosing a jurisdiction and in setting up an
offshore e-commerce operation.
E-SHOP
BASICS
Describes how to
go about setting up an entry-level e-commerce
retailing operation, in case you want to do it
yourself.
LOCATION
Describes the criteria
that should be applied to choosing an offshore
jurisdiction.
GETTING
STARTED WITH OFFSHORE E-COMMERCE
Describes the criteria
that should be taken into consideration when starting
an offshore e-commerce operation.
CASE STUDIES
There are so many
variable factors in the situation of each company,
including business sector, ownership structure,
country of origin, size, capital structure and
level of profitability, to name just some, that
it is hardly possible to illustrate the principles
of offshore e-commerce in any general way. Still,
case studies can show typical sequences of steps
needing to be taken when going offshore, even
if the detail will be different in each case.
The six case studies
in this section cover six of the more likely business
situations in which offshore has a lot to offer;
but the truth is that the Internet has made it
possible for almost every business in a high-tax
country to get advantage offshore.
For direct assistance
with establishing an offshore e-commerce operation,
see our E-commerce Business Guide.
- Electronic
Products Business to Business Case Study
- Electronic
Products Consumer Case Study
- Physical
Products Business to Business Case Study
- Physical
Products Consumer case Study
- Offshore
Banking and Financial Services Case Study
- Offshore
Corporate Functions Case Study
SPECIAL REPORTS
Special Features
on E-Commerce in Guernsey & Ireland, Gibraltar
& Dubai, and Mauritius and Netherlands Antilles
are available in the Reports
Library along with other previous Special
Features.
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Lamy Sings Praises Of IT Agreement, by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels
Last updated 18 hours ago | Wednesday, May 16, 2012
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| At the opening of a symposium to mark the 15th Anniversary of the Information Technology Agreement, which substantially liberalized taxes on the global trade of computer products, World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy emphasized that the success of the agreement could easily be transferred to other growth, and innovation-promoting industries.
[
FULL STORY ] |
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IoM E-Gaming Sector Recognised, by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London
Last updated 42 hours ago | Tuesday, May 15, 2012
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| E-Gaming companies resident in the Isle of Man scooped multiple awards
at the eGaming Review Business to Business Awards, having been nominated for eighteen accolades.
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FULL STORY ] |
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MEPs Agree Deal On Mobile Roaming Price Caps, by Ulrika Lomas, LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels
Monday, May 14, 2012
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| Data roaming and phone calls abroad for European Union consumers should be
much cheaper from July 1 this year, due to an agreement with the European Council
which has been endorsed by the European Parliament.
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FULL STORY ] |
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UK E-Seller Amnesty Deadline Looms, by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London
Monday, May 14, 2012
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| HM Revenue and Customs has warned people trading on the internet and who may have tax irregularities that they now have just one month to take part in the e-sellers tax amnesty and avail of lower penalty rates.
[
FULL STORY ] |
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Hearing Focusses On US Consumer Internet Privacy, by Glen Shapiro, LawAndTax-News, New York
Thursday, May 10, 2012
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| The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce have used their
testimonies before a hearing of the United States Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science and Transportation to describe the Administration’s efforts to protect
consumer privacy over the internet.
[
FULL STORY ] |
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Luxembourg Unveils Unsatisfactory Q1 Tax Revenues, by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
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| Luxembourg’s Finance Minister Luc Frieden has recently unveiled details
of the country’s public finances at central administration level for the
first quarter of 2012, and has defended the additional budgetary consolidation
decisions taken by the government at the end of April.
[
FULL STORY ] |
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Malta Signs Gambling Oversight Agreements, by Lorys Charalambous, Tax-News.com, Cyprus
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
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| Malta's Lotteries and Gaming Authority has announced the signing of three cooperation agreements with other regulators, the European Sports Security Association, the sports integrity agency of global soccer association FIFA, and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, to strengthen its domestic oversight capabilities and contribute towards international enforcement efforts.
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FULL STORY ] |
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Antigua Issues Plea To US On E-Gaming, by Amanda Banks, Tax-News.com, London
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
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| Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Baldwin Spencer, has met with US Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, to discuss Antigua and Barbuda’s internet gaming case against the United States.
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FULL STORY ] |
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EU Consults On Rules For Wirelessly Connected Devices , by Ulrika Lomas, LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels
Friday, April 13, 2012
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| The European Commission has launched a public consultation to ensure that
the rights of individuals are respected in the so-called "Internet of Things", where everyday objects, such as phones and cars, are wirelessly connected
to the internet through smart chips, and can collect and share data.
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FULL STORY ] |
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World Economic Forum Issues Global ICT Report, by Ulrika Lomas, lawAndTax-News.com, Brussels
Friday, April 06, 2012
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| The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with INSEAD, has issued the Global
Information Technology Report for 2012, which is said to be the most comprehensive
assessment of the preparedness of global economies to leverage the networked economy.
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FULL STORY ] |
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EU Agrees ECJ Submission On ACTA, by Ulrika Lomas, LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels
Friday, April 06, 2012
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| The European Commission has taken the next step in referring the Anti-Counterfeiting
Trade Agreement to the European Court of Justice, by agreeing on
the legal submission to be put before the Court.
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FULL STORY ] |
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Channel Islands Will Not Appeal UK VAT Ruling, by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London
Friday, April 06, 2012
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| The Jersey government has decided not appeal the decision of the High Court in
London, which ruled that the United Kingdom government's decision to revoke Low-Value
Consignment Relief (LVCR), a value-added tax concession, for the Channel Islands
was consistent with European Union law.
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FULL STORY ] |
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Jersey Targets Digital Industries With New Agency, by Phillip Morton, Investors Offshore.com
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
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| A new agency, Digital Jersey, is to be established as a part of a public-private partnership aimed at promoting Jersey's digital industries - including e-gaming, e-commerce and Information
and Communications Technology, on the back of Jersey's newly updated Intellectual
Property legislation.
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FULL STORY ] |
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China To Quadruple E-Commerce Sales By End-2015, by Mary Swire, LawAndTax-News.com, Hong Kong
Thursday, March 29, 2012
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| The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released a Five
Year Plan which foresees e-commerce sales quadrupling to RMB18 trillion in the period to the end of 2015.
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FULL STORY ] |
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Ireland Appoints 'Start-Up Ambassador' In China, by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London
Friday, March 30, 2012
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| Enterprise Ireland has appointed an 'International Start-up Ambassador' in China as part of the government's Action Plan for Jobs 2012.
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FULL STORY ] |
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Report Dissects Alderney's Role In Full Tilt Poker Case, by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London
Friday, March 30, 2012
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| Alderney's Gambling Control Commission has welcomed the publication of an independent
report into decisions made in relation to
three companies which were licensed in Alderney to operate as Full Tilt
Poker.
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FULL STORY ] |
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FTC Issues Final Report On US Data Privacy, by Glen Shapiro, LawAndTax-News.com, New York
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
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| The Federal Trade Commission has issued its final report setting forth best
practices for businesses to protect the privacy of United States consumers and
give them greater control over the collection and use of their personal data.
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FULL STORY ] |
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UK Confirms Gambling Tax Changes, by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
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| Offshore gambling firms have been dealt a blow in the United Kingdom's latest
Budget which amends the tax rules applicable to the supply of gambling services
to the UK market. Wagers will now be taxed on a point-of-consumption
basis, bringing offshore operators under the UK tax net.
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FULL STORY ] |
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US, EU Issue Joint Statement On Data Privacy, by Glen Shapiro, LawAndTax-News.com, New York
Thursday, March 22, 2012
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| A joint statement, following a conference in which both European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding and the United States Commerce Secretary John Bryson
participated, confirms the deepening trans-Atlantic dialogue on commercial data
privacy issues.
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FULL STORY ] |
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UK Launches E-Sellers Tax Amnesty, by Robert Lee, Tax-news.com, London
Monday, March 19, 2012
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| The UK tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs, has launched another tax amnesty scheme, this time targeting online marketplace sellers.
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FULL STORY ] |
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Ireland To Extend Betting Tax To Online Bookies, by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London
Thursday, March 15, 2012
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| Ireland's online bookmakers will soon be liable to a transactions tax, bringing the country's internet gambling regime in line with that imposed on high-street shops.
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FULL STORY ] |
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Sarkozy Relaunches Debate On 'Google Tax', by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels
Friday, March 16, 2012
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| Within the framework of his electoral campaign, French President Nicolas Sarkzoy
has recently re-launched the idea of imposing a tax on Internet giants, such as
Google.
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FULL STORY ] |
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EU Data Protection Rules Still Not Comprehensive, Says Watchdog, by Ulrika Lomas, LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels
Monday, March 12, 2012
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| The European Data Protection Supervisor has generally welcomed the proposed
package for a reform of the European Union data protection law, but remains
concerned that it is 'far from a comprehensive set of rules'.
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FULL STORY ] |
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WIPO Prepares for Launch of New gTLDs, by Ulrika Lomas, LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels
Monday, March 12, 2012
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| While trademark holders filed a record number of cybersquatting cases with the World Intellectual
Property Organization, pre-emptive measures are being organized to prevent
the abusive use of trademarks as generic top-level domains.
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FULL STORY ] |
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BT, Talk Talk Lose UK File-Sharing Appeal, by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
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| On March 6, 2012, two of the UK's largest internet service providers, British
Telecommunications and Talk Talk, lost their court appeal against the controversial
Digital Economy Act 2010, which contains provisions designed to crack down on
copyright theft over the internet, is contrary to European Union law.
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FULL STORY ] |
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Google's New Privacy Policy Raises EU Concerns, by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-New.com, Brussels
Monday, March 05, 2012
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| Despite the concern expressed in the preliminary findings of the French
data protection regulator, Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés, the internet company Google has gone ahead with the application of
its new privacy policy from March 1, 2012.
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FULL STORY ] |
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MEPs Receive Public Petition Against ACTA, by Ulrika Lomas, LawAndTax.News.com, Brussels
Thursday, March 01, 2012
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| The European Parliament has received a petition, signed by almost 2.5m people
worldwide, calling on its members 'to stand for a free and open internet
and reject the ratification of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement'.
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FULL STORY ] |
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Obama Unveils Internet 'Bill of Rights', by Glen Shapiro, LawAndTax-News.com, New York
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
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| President Barack Obama has unveiled a United States 'Consumer Privacy Bill
of Rights' as part of a comprehensive blueprint to protect individual privacy
rights and give users more control over how their information is handled on
the internet.
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FULL STORY ] |
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EU Refers ACTA To European Court, by Ulrika Lomas, LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels
Friday, February 24, 2012
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| The Commissioner for Trade, Karel De Gucht, has disclosed that the European Commission has agreed with his proposal to refer the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement to the European Court of Justice.
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FULL STORY ] |
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Belgium Tax Man Targets Internet Sales Sites, by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
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| The Belgian tax authorities have recently announced that they are now closely monitoring
Internet sales websites, including eBay, in a bid to clamp down on Internet
traders failing to meet their tax obligations.
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FULL STORY ] |
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