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This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here. Tuesday, August 16, 2005 More on Costa Rica Just out of curiosity, I ran a search on "moving to Costa Rica." Along with the usual computer-generated ad sites, I found Kytka's Costa Rica, a useful information site operated by a Czech couple. Here is part of what it has to say:COSTA RICA - "the Switzerland of the Americas" - has always created favorable tax conditions for offshore operations, but the country's popularity as such has only caught on over the last few years. In Costa Rica the Banks are required by law to maintain absolute secrecy regarding the operations of their clients.Information about normal banking operations is not passed on to any government agency - including the Tax Department. Information given to local attorneys/notaries is protected by professional secrecy. An interesting angle of financial secrecy is the use of Costa Rican "offshore" corporations. Like bank accounts, these corporations can be started by anyone - citizen, resident, or tourist - and are supposed to be totally secret. Since there's no way of knowing just whose names are on the corporation books, it's almost impossible to discover who actually controls any of these corporations. In fact, the legal name is sociedad anonima or "anonymous society". That's why corporation names are appended with "S.A." instead of "Inc." or "Ltd."Costa Rica's corporate structure allows ANY person (Costa Rican or not) to control a company without his or her name appearing in the public records. Our Costa Rican law office can set up your client's corporation without the real owner's name ever appearing in the record. Although there is a legal President, Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer (our nominees), the actual ownership of the corporation is invested in whoever PHYSICALLY has the stock certificates in his/her pocket or safe-deposit box. A Costa Rican S.A. is free to engage in many types of business activities, both in Costa Rica and in other countries and it pays NOTHING on what it earns OUTSIDE of Costa Rica! Local laws require that a yearly tax report must be filed (we do the job); should there be no income to report, there are no tax consequences. Last but not least, Costa Rican corporations are now one of the best offshore vehicles because many of high-tax rated countries like the U.S.A. do not consider them as offshore companies!!! In addition, Costa Rica offers:One of the most popular vacation destinations An ecological country Stunning geography A democratic political structure Political stability Diversified climate An economy in full expansion Remarkable social services Well structured education system Nonexistent military budgets Peaceful, amiable and uncomplicated people I find it truly ironic that one of Costa Rica's selling points is that it has no military budget. Corporate America loves to make money off our military, but when its executives want a great place to live, they look for a country with no military at all. What should that tell us, I wonder?What I was really looking for was confirmation that "thousands" of American corporations have relocated to Costa Rica, or at least opened offices there. I didn't find thousands, but this article lists enough of the most powerful ones to make your eyes open.Intel has gigantic operations here in Costa Rica and contributes a very significant amount to the gross domestic product of Costa Rica. No doubt Intel considered the points mentioned above absolutely critical in their decision to start operations in Costa Rica. Many other multinational companies such as Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Lucent and Bristol Myers have ‘taken advantage of’ the Costa Rican IT level and still more and more companies are considering further investments within this beautiful and politically stable Central American country.[..]Costa Rica has everything that a sophisticated, international investor needs in a global financial center. It’s a beautiful, stable and peaceful country with good privacy laws, hard working, qualified professionals who will ensure that your assets are protected properly and, zero taxes for those international investors who make their profits outside the country. Companies like Intel, Procter & Gamble, Abbott Labs, Bristol Myers, Chiquita Brands, Esso, Texaco, 3M, UPS, DHL, Gillette, Warner Lambert, Xerox, Glaxo Smithkline, Johnson & Johnson, SC Johnson, Sherwin Williams, Sony Music, Pfizer, Kimberly Clark, Manpower, Microsoft, Dole Fresh Fruit, Colgate Palmolive, LL Bean, Alcatel, BASF, Lucent, KPMG, Price Waterhouse, Deloitte & Touche, 3 Com, Motorola, Oracle, Perkin Elmer, Western Union, Unisys and Cisco Systems have made huge investments in Costa Rica. It is estimated that non-Costa Rican companies invested over US$600 million in Costa Rica just in the year 2000.If that 600 million was all invested by US companies, how many jobs would it have created here at home? And how many more millions {or billions} have flowed out of the US to Costa Rica since then, leaving pink slips, unemployment and financial ruin here?Remember, tax cuts for the wealthy were supposed to motivate them to spend money and thereby improve the economy. Looks like it did just that. Only trouble is, it wasn't our economy that got improved. posted by Liz @ 10:32 AM | The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section RSS Feed PERSONAL Send email toliz at life-as-a-spectator-sport.com Home I'm a mother, grandmother, a computer professional, Democrat, Christian. I welcome politely worded comments and email, my spam filter throws the rest away, so don't bother to flame me WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT' "If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart. THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3 KNITTING BLOGS Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits FINISHED PROJECTS -------FINISHED IN 2006------- Peruvian Cap Tutti-Frutti Socks Shelley's Socks Carol's Socks -------FINISHED IN 2007------- Chain Link Socks Baby Surprise Jacket Valerie & Friend Baby Bonnet Rainbow Baby Socks Girls Pixie Hood Mitred Square Heart Red & White Socks Coffee Cup Pot Holder Nubbins Dishcloth Garterlac Dishcloth Suede Booties Kate's Socks Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Half Thumbless Mittens Red Mittens for Akkol -------FINISHED IN 2008------- SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE -- Blogs and websites -- Causubon's Book Club Orlov Food Storage Made Easy From the Wilderness In the Wake Listening to Katrina Survival Topics The Modern Homestead The Oil Drum Notes from a Hillside Farm -- Mailing Lists -- 12vdc Power Living on the Land Rainwater Refrigeration Alternatives Old Ways of Living POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES The political sites have moved BOOKS I'M READING How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising ARCHIVES February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 Feedjit Live Blog Stats
Just out of curiosity, I ran a search on "moving to Costa Rica." Along with the usual computer-generated ad sites, I found Kytka's Costa Rica, a useful information site operated by a Czech couple. Here is part of what it has to say:COSTA RICA - "the Switzerland of the Americas" - has always created favorable tax conditions for offshore operations, but the country's popularity as such has only caught on over the last few years. In Costa Rica the Banks are required by law to maintain absolute secrecy regarding the operations of their clients.Information about normal banking operations is not passed on to any government agency - including the Tax Department. Information given to local attorneys/notaries is protected by professional secrecy. An interesting angle of financial secrecy is the use of Costa Rican "offshore" corporations. Like bank accounts, these corporations can be started by anyone - citizen, resident, or tourist - and are supposed to be totally secret. Since there's no way of knowing just whose names are on the corporation books, it's almost impossible to discover who actually controls any of these corporations. In fact, the legal name is sociedad anonima or "anonymous society". That's why corporation names are appended with "S.A." instead of "Inc." or "Ltd."Costa Rica's corporate structure allows ANY person (Costa Rican or not) to control a company without his or her name appearing in the public records. Our Costa Rican law office can set up your client's corporation without the real owner's name ever appearing in the record. Although there is a legal President, Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer (our nominees), the actual ownership of the corporation is invested in whoever PHYSICALLY has the stock certificates in his/her pocket or safe-deposit box. A Costa Rican S.A. is free to engage in many types of business activities, both in Costa Rica and in other countries and it pays NOTHING on what it earns OUTSIDE of Costa Rica! Local laws require that a yearly tax report must be filed (we do the job); should there be no income to report, there are no tax consequences. Last but not least, Costa Rican corporations are now one of the best offshore vehicles because many of high-tax rated countries like the U.S.A. do not consider them as offshore companies!!! In addition, Costa Rica offers:One of the most popular vacation destinations An ecological country Stunning geography A democratic political structure Political stability Diversified climate An economy in full expansion Remarkable social services Well structured education system Nonexistent military budgets Peaceful, amiable and uncomplicated people I find it truly ironic that one of Costa Rica's selling points is that it has no military budget. Corporate America loves to make money off our military, but when its executives want a great place to live, they look for a country with no military at all. What should that tell us, I wonder?What I was really looking for was confirmation that "thousands" of American corporations have relocated to Costa Rica, or at least opened offices there. I didn't find thousands, but this article lists enough of the most powerful ones to make your eyes open.Intel has gigantic operations here in Costa Rica and contributes a very significant amount to the gross domestic product of Costa Rica. No doubt Intel considered the points mentioned above absolutely critical in their decision to start operations in Costa Rica. Many other multinational companies such as Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Lucent and Bristol Myers have ‘taken advantage of’ the Costa Rican IT level and still more and more companies are considering further investments within this beautiful and politically stable Central American country.[..]Costa Rica has everything that a sophisticated, international investor needs in a global financial center. It’s a beautiful, stable and peaceful country with good privacy laws, hard working, qualified professionals who will ensure that your assets are protected properly and, zero taxes for those international investors who make their profits outside the country. Companies like Intel, Procter & Gamble, Abbott Labs, Bristol Myers, Chiquita Brands, Esso, Texaco, 3M, UPS, DHL, Gillette, Warner Lambert, Xerox, Glaxo Smithkline, Johnson & Johnson, SC Johnson, Sherwin Williams, Sony Music, Pfizer, Kimberly Clark, Manpower, Microsoft, Dole Fresh Fruit, Colgate Palmolive, LL Bean, Alcatel, BASF, Lucent, KPMG, Price Waterhouse, Deloitte & Touche, 3 Com, Motorola, Oracle, Perkin Elmer, Western Union, Unisys and Cisco Systems have made huge investments in Costa Rica. It is estimated that non-Costa Rican companies invested over US$600 million in Costa Rica just in the year 2000.If that 600 million was all invested by US companies, how many jobs would it have created here at home? And how many more millions {or billions} have flowed out of the US to Costa Rica since then, leaving pink slips, unemployment and financial ruin here?Remember, tax cuts for the wealthy were supposed to motivate them to spend money and thereby improve the economy. Looks like it did just that. Only trouble is, it wasn't our economy that got improved.
COSTA RICA - "the Switzerland of the Americas" - has always created favorable tax conditions for offshore operations, but the country's popularity as such has only caught on over the last few years. In Costa Rica the Banks are required by law to maintain absolute secrecy regarding the operations of their clients.Information about normal banking operations is not passed on to any government agency - including the Tax Department. Information given to local attorneys/notaries is protected by professional secrecy. An interesting angle of financial secrecy is the use of Costa Rican "offshore" corporations. Like bank accounts, these corporations can be started by anyone - citizen, resident, or tourist - and are supposed to be totally secret. Since there's no way of knowing just whose names are on the corporation books, it's almost impossible to discover who actually controls any of these corporations. In fact, the legal name is sociedad anonima or "anonymous society". That's why corporation names are appended with "S.A." instead of "Inc." or "Ltd."Costa Rica's corporate structure allows ANY person (Costa Rican or not) to control a company without his or her name appearing in the public records. Our Costa Rican law office can set up your client's corporation without the real owner's name ever appearing in the record. Although there is a legal President, Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer (our nominees), the actual ownership of the corporation is invested in whoever PHYSICALLY has the stock certificates in his/her pocket or safe-deposit box. A Costa Rican S.A. is free to engage in many types of business activities, both in Costa Rica and in other countries and it pays NOTHING on what it earns OUTSIDE of Costa Rica! Local laws require that a yearly tax report must be filed (we do the job); should there be no income to report, there are no tax consequences. Last but not least, Costa Rican corporations are now one of the best offshore vehicles because many of high-tax rated countries like the U.S.A. do not consider them as offshore companies!!! In addition, Costa Rica offers:One of the most popular vacation destinations An ecological country Stunning geography A democratic political structure Political stability Diversified climate An economy in full expansion Remarkable social services Well structured education system Nonexistent military budgets Peaceful, amiable and uncomplicated people
Intel has gigantic operations here in Costa Rica and contributes a very significant amount to the gross domestic product of Costa Rica. No doubt Intel considered the points mentioned above absolutely critical in their decision to start operations in Costa Rica. Many other multinational companies such as Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Lucent and Bristol Myers have ‘taken advantage of’ the Costa Rican IT level and still more and more companies are considering further investments within this beautiful and politically stable Central American country.[..]Costa Rica has everything that a sophisticated, international investor needs in a global financial center. It’s a beautiful, stable and peaceful country with good privacy laws, hard working, qualified professionals who will ensure that your assets are protected properly and, zero taxes for those international investors who make their profits outside the country. Companies like Intel, Procter & Gamble, Abbott Labs, Bristol Myers, Chiquita Brands, Esso, Texaco, 3M, UPS, DHL, Gillette, Warner Lambert, Xerox, Glaxo Smithkline, Johnson & Johnson, SC Johnson, Sherwin Williams, Sony Music, Pfizer, Kimberly Clark, Manpower, Microsoft, Dole Fresh Fruit, Colgate Palmolive, LL Bean, Alcatel, BASF, Lucent, KPMG, Price Waterhouse, Deloitte & Touche, 3 Com, Motorola, Oracle, Perkin Elmer, Western Union, Unisys and Cisco Systems have made huge investments in Costa Rica. It is estimated that non-Costa Rican companies invested over US$600 million in Costa Rica just in the year 2000.
The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section
RSS Feed
PERSONAL
WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT'
"If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart.
THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME
Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3
KNITTING BLOGS
Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits
FINISHED PROJECTS
SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE
POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES
BOOKS I'M READING
How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising
ARCHIVES
February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002
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