Services for international businesses
International expansion
Expanding your operations abroad is a big step. Although you will have experience of developing your business in your own country, you will experience new challenges in new countries.
Our experts can advise you on:
- The local business environment
- Finance, grants and incentives available to you
- The location of your business
- The labour market
- Taxation and business structures
- Accounting and auditing requirements
- Political and social customs
- Put you in touch with relevant third parties
Company formation and registration
We are able to assist with every aspect of company formation and set up in the United Kingdom. Several legal structures are available for running a business in the UK. For instance, you could set up a UK company, often a subsidiary of your ultimate holding company, or establish a branch or representative office of the parent organisation.
Different options will suit individual circumstances and we can advise on all forms, including joint ventures and corporate structures if required. We can help you decide which structure is most suited to your needs and can then provide a 'ready made' company, or one tailored to your own requirements from incorporation.
We have a specialist Company Secretarial division which will attend to all your registration formalities. In addition, our City of London address, or any of the premises of our UK member firms, are available for use as the registered office of your company.
After registration, this division can deal with all compliance aspects including maintenance of statutory records and the preparation and filing of annual returns and other documents.
Business information services
We can provide you with information on potential partners, sellers, distributors or competitors.
Raising finance
Our extensive contacts include venture capital organisations, banks, stockbrokers and other financial institutions in both the City of London and throughout the UK. We can assess your requirements and arrange introductions with suitable contacts, advise on terms and assist you in negotiations. We can also help with applications for grants available from the Government and other agencies.
Taxation
Your company will be liable to UK taxes if it is resident in the UK or if it carries on a trade in the UK through a branch or agency. We can advise you on your international group structure, including planning the repatriation of profits by the use of interest, dividends and royalties in order to minimise your UK tax liabilities.
Similarly, your personal tax liability will depend on whether you are resident, ordinarily resident and/or domiciled in the UK.
Early tax planning is essential before arrival in the UK and during your residence here. Our tax experts have extensive experience in advising businesses and individuals on international tax issues.
VAT and duty
All businesses over a certain turnover must register for the purposes of VAT (UK sales tax). Our VAT team can arrange for your organisation's registration.
Involvement in a new venture may provide opportunities for VAT and duty savings if specialist advice is sought at the outset. Transactions can be organised to minimise VAT and duty costs, and accounting systems implemented that maximise VAT cashflow.
VAT is a complex and frequently changing area of taxation and early professional advice is essential.
Other services for international businesses
We provide a complete service for overseas companies willing to invest or trade in the UK. Our service is tailor made to your needs.
Services include
- Advice on the structure of the investment or trade in the UK to consider a branch, UK Corporation or partnership. This will cover the various tax implications. Our contacts in UHY, our international network, have supported us in designing the structure to ensure the overall structure suits both the UK and overseas.
- If UK staff are required we can work with local lawyers to provide an employment purchase and once the staff are recruited we can administer the payroll system.
- Once the structure is agreed we can register the entity with the relevant UK authorities.
- We can provide a full administrative system including issuing of sales invoices, maintenance on the UK bank account as well as the bookkeeping on the transactions. We also offer a debt chasing service.
- We can complete the relevant UK return for local sales taxes, business taxes.
- We can provide you with management information (or branch returns) based on your requirements in a format to suit you.
- We can provide annual accounts, and if required audit them, either reporting to you or your auditors.
- We currently provide these services to various overseas individuals, partnerships and companies.
The main areas these clients use are
- Our experience in dealing with the UK sales tax (VAT) has resulted in significant cash flow benefits due to our speed of processing.
- The overseas business can quickly set up with the need for the full administration staff required to enable the business to start with a lower cost base.
Corporate recovery and insolvency services
Things don't always go to plan. Your foreign subsidiary may not perform as well as expected or financial problems may arise.
Whatever the issue, examining your immediate cash requirements; restructuring bank and equity financing; disposing of any surplus business assets; how to maximise your debt recovery; or turnaround and recovery advice early assessment and advice is vital.