Switzerland

History of Switzerland

With nearly eight million inhabitants, Switzerland is located in Western Europe, surrounded by France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. Switzerland is a multicultural nation due to its geographical position. Switzerland’s official languages are German, French, Italian and Romansh. Switzerland is characterized by its famous political and military neutrality and comprises 26 cantons (districts).

Switzerland as an Onshore Centre

Switzerland has several cantons and each applies its own corporate tax rate. Switzerland is considered an Onshore location with low tax rates, particularly as companies registered in the canton of Obwalden will only pay a tax rate of 12.66%. Companies may also be domiciled in Lausanne, Geneva, Zug, and Zurich, but will be subject to higher tax rates.

Switzerland Summary

Switzerland has many cantons, each with a different tax system. It is one of the few countries that still allows anonymous bearer shares in form of the S.A (Société Anonyme, or public limited company), which requires a capital of 100,000 CHF. SARL companies (Société à responsabilité limitée, or limited liability companies) do not offer anonymity, except by share ownership through a trust or nominee, and require a capital of 20,000 CHF. It is recommended to form a Swiss company with a holding company in Hong Kong in order to receive the dividends, given the advantageous agreements between Switzerland and Hong Kong. In order to incorporate a company in Switzerland it must have a local Director who is either resident in Switzerland, or is a Swiss national.