Word: taxed
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...European Continent, countries with some of the highest tax rates - like Denmark, Germany and Sweden - sit side by side with those collecting some of the lowest, like Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. That's handy for Europeans who want to work in one country while they live, and save, in another. So execs and entrepreneurs can do business in London while settling in Monaco, the city-state famous for sunshine, glamour and zero tax on income or investment gains. Belgium, where some assets are exempt from capital-gains tax, is peppered with wealthy French escaping a tax rate that...
...Switzerland, the most famous tax haven of all, that remains the global leader in attracting cash from overseas. The number of tax exiles living there shot up from 2,394 in 2003 to 4,175 in 2006, according to consulting firm KPMG, and they poured around $917 million into its tax system in 2006 alone. The central government lets foreigners negotiate how much tax they pay directly with whichever of the country's 26 cantons they move to; an annual lump sum is calculated, based on five times the rental value of the expat's Swiss home. Rates average around...
Another big draw is Switzerland's tradition of discretion. Its strict banking privacy laws are a bonus for foreigners who don't want anyone peeking at their accounts. But the European Union, worried about what it sees as rampant tax evasion, is pushing for more transparency in Europe's banking systems. The E.U. Savings Taxation Directive, which came into effect in 2005, demands that member states and their dependencies either automatically exchange information on the accounts kept in their banks by E.U. residents or start imposing a 15% withholding tax on any foreign-sourced interest paid into those accounts. Most...
...Switzerland collected an extra $492 million in withholding tax from the bank accounts of E.U. residents. And as the rate goes up to 35% by 2011 in compliance with the E.U. directive, foreigners will find the Swiss tax man reaching deeper into their pockets. But for every tax haven that loses its seductive charms, there's another working hard to woo the rich. Dubai, which has been dubbed the Switzerland of the gulf, has spent billions creating zones where foreigners can set up and invest in companies free from corporate tax. And other gulf states like Qatar and Oman...
Then there are Singapore's new trust laws, which help the rich keep their fortunes in the family by letting them pass assets on to beneficiaries tax-free. And the perks strongly favor foreigners. "To get all the benefits one must not be Singaporean, nor should one's beneficiaries be Singaporean," says Michael Troth, Asia-Pacific head of global wealth-structuring for Citigroup. As a result, says Troth: "Singapore is becoming the predominant provider of trust services to our Asian clients...