Barbados

Why are we based in Barbados?

Is it the palm-trees fringing sun-kissed beaches, the friendly people, the great quality of life? Well, none of that hurts, but our reasons are a bit more hard-nosed; Barbados has a huge amount to offer companies and individuals seeking to enhance their financial position.

To give just one example, many companies with an international clientele, especially in the service sector, can reduce their corporation tax liability by up to 95% by integrating a Barbados company into their group structure and activity. Contact us to find out if your business might benefit from such a restructuring.

More generally, our Barbados-centred solutions take advantage of:

  • Barbados's established, stable democracy with fully-developed institutions (including the oldest parliament in the Western hemisphere) and a legal system based primarily on English law.

  • A well-educated, English-speaking workforce, boosted by large numbers of graduates each year from the University of the West Indies and elsewhere, with wage costs typically a fraction of those in the UK or US.

  • A fully transparent and compliant financial system; Barbados has been on the OECD's 'white list' since it was originally published and does not face any of the challenges traditional 'tax havens' are now grappling with.

  • The extensive and expanding network of double tax treaties Barbados has negotiated. There are comprehensive treaties in place with the USA, the UK, China, Canada, Switzerland, Mexico, Venezuela, the Netherlands, and many more; with enormous planning opportunities arising from these.

  • An effective corporation tax rate of between 1% and 2.5% on international profits.

  • A large number of private and international banks offering a full range of financial and banking services.

    • United Kingdom

    Our in-house expertise is complemented by an established network of associate firms.

    Our clients can choose to receive specific guidance on a single issue, or comprehensive, integrated advice on all aspects of their financial affairs; and then with our assistance, implement the chosen structures seamlessly with their current arrangements. We aim to work with existing advisers wherever possible, and many professional firms use us to source specialist advice for their clients.

    Any type of planning can be appropriate in a given case, but we believe that wherever possible, transparent strategies based on genuine economic substance should be preferred over artificial or opaque 'schemes'.

    You'll find various examples here of the sort of solutions we regularly offer, but much of our work involves bespoke planning, tailored to fit the client's own circumstances and objectives. If you don't see something here that appears to fit your particular problem or ambition, get in touch and tell us about it; the odds are that we can help

    United States

    The US has a double tax treaty with Barbados.

    This allows substantial tax advantages to accrue to international businesses that can legitimately include Barbados within their group structure. Our section on Barbados gives an indication of what is possible; please contact us to discuss your own situation, or that of your clients, in more detail.

    Latin America

    Barbados has double tax treaties with Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela, and is negotiating with Argentina and Brazil, amongst others.

    Clients in these countries with international affairs may be able to benefit greatly from basing part of their activities in Barbados. Other Latin American countries have tax treaties with other jurisdictions that we can use to provide similar benefits for clients based there. Our section on Barbados gives an indication of what is possible; please contact us to discuss your own situation, or that of your clients, in more detail.

    Canada

    Canada's legal and tax system works particularly well in relation to Barbados.

    We offer a number of well-established structures and solutions for Canadian clients, both corporate and individual. See our section on Barbados for an indication of what is possible, but there are also extensive possibilities for individual Canadian citizens to enhance their financial position with our assistance. Please contact us to discuss your own situation, or that of your clients, in more detail.