In general, all jurisdictions can be divided into classic offshore, low-tax jurisdictions and prestige jurisdictions. The prestige of a jurisdiction corresponds to its rank, which is determined by taking into account and evaluating information from the International Sanctions List, the OECD Gray or Black List and the EU Jurisdiction White List as well as data on the development of the financial markets and determining whether the jurisdiction ob FATF AML is deficient and whether there are money laundering concerns. These are the basic criteria that matter in determining whether the jurisdiction is prestigious or not. It cannot be considered prestigious if it is on a financial blacklist.

Austria, France, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Switzerland are among the top five most reputable jurisdictions for incorporating a company.

A general overview of Austria

Registering a company or start-up in this jurisdiction allows the owner(s) to participate in all projects initiated by the Austrian government. The basic company types available are LLC, ULP, PJSC, PLLC, LLP, and JSC.

Taxes: The income tax rate is 25%, with a minimum corporation tax of EUR 500, plus 20% VAT and a capital tax that varies between 0.8% and 1%. If the subsidiary is registered within the EU, the tax rate on dividend income is 0%; if not, it is 25%.

Austria has agreements with more than 90 countries that enable companies to avoid double taxation. It has no exchange control. This jurisdiction ensures the confidentiality of business data.

A general overview of France

France is a respectable jurisdiction that allows your company to offer products and services bearing the mark of a European company. The basic legal structures available are SP, GP, PJSC, PJSC, LLC, CLS and LLPE.

France offers a number of options: the ability to obtain credit from French banks, the ability to obtain a residence permit, no taxation for companies registered in the country doing business outside of France, and no exchange controls. France has agreements with more than 89 other countries that allow companies to avoid double taxation.

A general overview of the United Kingdom

The UK is considered a respectable jurisdiction due to its high level of legal protection, a simple and transparent tax system, the ability to charge VAT and the availability of nominee services.

The basic company types available in the UK are PC, Limited Warranty Company, ULC and LLC. Again, there are no tax obligations for UK registered companies operating exclusively outside the country. Corporate tax rates depend on profit (between 20% and 24%). The UK has agreements with more than 100 countries that allow companies to avoid double taxation.

A general overview of the United States of America

The US offers a respectable, highly trusted jurisdiction for a company to register, allowing it to offer products and services bearing a US company's trademark. This jurisdiction imposes no tax obligations on entities designated as non-resident and also permits nominee services. There is no taxation for companies incorporated in the country that do all their business outside of the United States.

The basic legal structures available are private contractor, corporation, branch of a foreign corporation, representative office of a foreign corporation, partnership, LLC, joint venture, or LLJSC.

A general overview of Switzerland

The good reputation of this jurisdiction is based on several factors, such as strong business development, a dynamic economy and a track record of innovation. The most important corporate forms available in Switzerland are LLC, ULP, JSC, Commandite Partnership and Subsidiary.

Switzerland offers a high level of confidentiality, the world's leading currency, mechanisms to avoid double taxation, a reasonable tax system with tax rates depending on residence, income level and legal form of the company, tax optimization opportunities and the opportunity to set up service companies that can for the administration of the business activities of the parent company

A holding company is a company legally holding (owning) shares of other companies. Usually it is an LLC or LP holding enough capital shares of another company in order to control and manage its activity and profits. A holding company as such is often used only to control other business structure: it may be a corporation, LP or LLC, rather than producing its own goods or providing services. Holding companies may also be used to own some kind of property. Holdings are often used as owners of real estate, intellectual property rights, stocks and other assets. In case a company is fully owned by a holding company, it is called a subsidiary company.

Purpose of a holding company
One advantage of having a holding company is that the holding company’s assets are very well protected against losses, claims and other risks. In case one of the companies is insolvent, the holding structure will have a capital loss and a reduction of net worth overall, however, the insolvent company’s creditors cannot claim assets of the holding company in the litigation. So, a big business structure can be organized in a form of holding with just one subsidiary in order to own its IP rights, or, alternatively, to own real estate property, or, to own equipment, or to conduct business as a franchise. By constructing such complex several-layer holding structure, each daughter company among with the parent company itself are having a quite limited financial and legal responsibility, which makes it a good solution for asset protection. Making holding corporate structure may also decrease tax liability, which can be achieved by incorporating some parts of the company in jurisdictions with decreased or exempted taxes.

Holdings also allow private persons to protect their income or assets. Instead of owning assets personally and bearing full responsibility for one’s debts, possible lawsuits and other risk factors, holding structure can hold the assets instead, thus, putting only holding company’s assets at steak.

Main activities of a holding company include supervising the subsidiary companies it owns. It can recruit and fire staff, if required, however, managers of the subsidiaries will be held responsible for their decisions regardless. Even though the parent company does not manage daily operations of the subsidiaries, the holding shareholders should have a picture of what is going on and how these subsidiary companies work in order to evaluate the performance and financial data.

Benefits of having a holding structure
In addition to everything previously mentioned, there are other major benefits of having a holding structure.

Full operational control over all subsidiaries:

A holding company has full supervision and control over directors’ board of the subsidiary. Parent company has the authority recruit staff, including directors.
Can be used to own property:

A holding company can hold different types of property, including, but not limited to real estate and intellectual property rights as well as other assets.
A holding company can not only hold, but also utilize and even pledge it’s property as well as invest it.
Risk minimization:

Holdings are often used to own assets, thus usually such structures are owners of numerous valuable assets. Holding corporate structure provides legal opportunity to protect these assets from claims, damages, lawsuits and other risks.
Holdings can be organized in several different ways. This allows quite flexible asset distribution between all subsidiaries.
Holdings company can own and use property:

Putting your company’s intellectual property rights or any other assets into a holding structure may be very beneficial in terms of legal protection against potential risks.
Flexibility of participation in risky investment projects:

A holding company participating in high-risk investment projects can protect shareholders of a daughter company.
Board of directors of each of the companies must act in the best interests of their company:

The parent company and its subsidiaries are recognized as separate legal entities each, each having separate board of directors. The board of directors is liable for the company’s activities as well as they are bound to act in the best interests of the represented business.
Tax planning solution:

The holding structure may be set up entirely in a different jurisdiction, which offers decreased or exempted taxes.
The holding can be quite a beneficial structure, especially considering that it often has lower tax rates than a trust would usually have applied.

Before starting a business or even choosing a jurisdiction, you need to plan a corporate structure for your business and based on that determine the purpose of the business you wish to start. It is important to understand the business structure of your company as this will determine the jurisdiction and type of company you choose to best meet your needs.

As different legal entities are usually subject to different tax regulations, it is important to have a clear vision for your company, including the area of activity and the corporate structure. Choosing the right legal form for your business is crucial for tax planning purposes; Otherwise you risk additional costs that could easily have been avoided. Also, some types of companies are bound by certain restrictions on accepting new business partners or third-party investors, which can pose a problem if you plan to work with invested capital. One of the most important aspects is the liability of the owners: different legal entities have different levels and mechanisms of liability for the business owner in relation to the company's relationships with third parties. In order to avoid unnecessary risks, we strongly advise you to think twice before choosing a legal form.

A company’s legal structure refers to its internal composition and its management and supervisory bodies as well as the liability of the owners in relation to third parties. On this basis, we can offer you the following legal company structures:

Limited liability company (LLC)
Joint-stock company (JSC)
Limited partnership (LP)
Limited liability partnership (LLP)
Foundation
General partnership (GP)
Branch office
Representative office
Trust
Confidus Solutions can provide you with in-depth legal consultation regarding business and tax planning strategies, as well as advising on a suitable legal structure for your company. As each type of entity has its own benefits and disadvantages, we strongly recommend that you contact us before proceeding with the company formation procedure.

In Macedonia, the form of government is a parliamentary republic. In Macedonia, legislative power rests with an assembly. Prime Minister is Gjorge Ivanov. A country's governmental structure determines the way laws are written, approved, and interpreted. The type of government determines the way elections are held as well as the country's system of policing its citizens. The term of office of the head of state in Macedonia lasts until January 1, 2019. The term of office of a head of state directly affects the power and influence of the executive branch. A longer term gives the head of state more authority. The term of office of the head of state in Macedonia lasts until January 1st, 2019. The length of a head of state's tenure directly affects the power and influence of the executive branch. A longer term gives the head of state more authority. The Global Peace Index (GPI) for Macedonia is 1,944. Due to the strong presence of the law enforcement authorities and the high level of social responsibility, Macedonia is very safe in international comparison. The Strength Law Index for Macedonia is 6. Overall it is considered quite reasonable – bankruptcy and collateral laws are able to protect the rights of borrowers and lenders at least decently; Credit reports are usually sufficient and generally available. In 2013, Macedonia received US$148.9 million in foreign aid. In 2014, foreign aid was $194.9.

Government
Prime Minister in Macedonia is Gjorge Ivanov. The governmental system of Macedonia is a parliamentary republic. In Macedonia, legislative power rests with an assembly; This is a unicameral legislature and therefore a unicameral assembly. According to the World Bank Group, Macedonia's Government Effectiveness Index is 0.15. This suggests that the government of Macedonia is mediocre. While some public and public services are limited, in other cases they can be considered adequate or even effective. Potential investors should carefully study the government situation in Macedonia before considering any business maneuvers.

Unions and alliances
This section deals with a list of unions to which Macedonia belongs.

Macedonia is a member of the United Nations (UN). Macedonia is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Macedonia is a member of the International Monetary Fun (IMF).