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What's considered the best way to keep private the UBO in 2020?

You can incorporate company in Marshall Islands with bearer shares, but why? ABSOLUTELY every bank or EMI will refuse to cooperate with you. You won't buy real estate or car in EU with offshore company. Subsidiary won't get banking either and you will have to indicate UBO. Bearer shares are completely dead in 2020.

They are useless in Marshall Islands as well. Owners must be disclosed yearly, not to your agent, but to the Marshall Islands Registrar of Corporations.
 
@Gediminas Thank you very much for these figures. It looks like it's for the rich people and not for the average around at OffshoreCorpTalk ! But we know there are people around for which such sums are peanuts and for them it may be of interest.
 
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Yes, we do have experience with that.

Foundation in Liechtenstein - setup price is around 15,000 EUR, then about the same annually.

Unit-linked Life Insurance solution - setup price is 30,000 – 40,000 EUR, then about the same annually. You have to own at least 3-5 million EUR in assets to be eligible for that.

At these prices it's cheaper to buy a publicly listed company.
 
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At these prices it's cheaper to buy a publicly listed company.
Public listed company must publish owners of more than 5% shares. There are heavy reporting requirements.

Foundation in Liechtenstein - setup price is around 15,000 EUR, then about the same annually.
Are you familiar with the case of Lopag Trust? If highly connected people were deceived easily by a crafty lawyer then it doesn't look like a good solution.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...neficiaries-trustees-legal-laws-a8239956.html
“I just want to warn people that if they are thinking of placing their assets in a trust registered in Liechtenstein, then they should run away as fast as possible because they will find that the trustees will become the beneficiaries,” says Perry. “And then the judge and Liechtenstein Trust committee will take the side of the trustees. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been set up in this way but I intend to be the last one. The lesson here is that you cannot always trust the trustees.”
 
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Public listed company must publish owners of more than 5% shares. There are heavy reporting requirements.


Are you familiar with the case of Lopag Trust? If highly connected people were deceived easily by a crafty lawyer then it doesn't look like a good solution.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...neficiaries-trustees-legal-laws-a8239956.html
“I just want to warn people that if they are thinking of placing their assets in a trust registered in Liechtenstein, then they should run away as fast as possible because they will find that the trustees will become the beneficiaries,” says Perry. “And then the judge and Liechtenstein Trust committee will take the side of the trustees. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been set up in this way but I intend to be the last one. The lesson here is that you cannot always trust the trustees.”

There will always be people in the business who are doing things right, and those who do things wrong.
 
Public listed company must publish owners of more than 5% shares. There are heavy reporting requirements.

For the listed company. The offshore subsidiary doesn't have to file anything in the UBO register though.

There will always be people in the business who are doing things right, and those who do things wrong.

How do you suggest I proceed to tell the difference between the good and the bad guys? If I can't, I must assume the effective tax in Liechtenstein is more than 100% (all my money + legal proceedings fees).
 
How do you suggest I proceed to tell the difference between the good and the bad guys? If I can't, I must assume the effective tax in Liechtenstein is more than 100% (all my money + legal proceedings fees).

I guess you might want to do some kind of due diligence. There are thousands of structures in Liechtenstein and everything is functioning just fine for decades.
 
I have no idea how you will open a bank account, but these are some "bugs" they put into typical legislation:

- Pay the fines for not keeping UBO records: $500 + $50 per day. Are you willing to pay $20.000 per year in fines?
- Buy or create a listed company on one of these exchanges, take control of the company, and control your offshore company through it. Try to balance the rights of minor shareholders, not getting delisted, and staying anonymous! Cheapest company on the Cyprus Stock Exchange is only EUR 80.000 with 4 employees!
- The Tax Justice Network has written an instruction manual for how to fragment ownership here and here how most jurisdictions use control as the test, and not enough emphasis is put on ownership.
- Let the company be an unguided missile where everything is specified in the articles of association, and you cease control of the company. Really, a trust, but embodied as a company. I think "rent a company" schemes are related to this as well.
How do you stay anonymous by buying one of those exchange companies?
-I might be willing to pay 20k in fines a year, whats the setup/protection?
-Lol, it is a manual, very clever, will bookmark this site, it is teaching all the tricks of the trade, ROFL

You can incorporate company in Marshall Islands with bearer shares, but why? ABSOLUTELY every bank or EMI will refuse to cooperate with you. You won't buy real estate or car in EU with offshore company. Subsidiary won't get banking either and you will have to indicate UBO. Bearer shares are completely dead in 2020.
This is what I waas trying to understand, lets say we go back to 1980 where there is no regulation on bearer shares, how would you use them in an advantageous manner?

Yes, we do have experience with that.

Foundation in Liechtenstein - setup price is around 15,000 EUR, then about the same annually.

Unit-linked Life Insurance solution - setup price is 30,000 – 40,000 EUR, then about the same annually. You have to own at least 3-5 million EUR in assets to be eligible for that.
Can you explain to us some benefits of Liechtenstein foundation?

There will always be people in the business who are doing things right, and those who do things wrong.

Did you read the case, the problem wasn't so much a corrupt trustee, it was the court in Liechtenstein DEFENDED the corrupt trustees corruption, despite being presented clear and overwhelming evidence of that. That is another level beyond crooks everywhere, it means if you deal with someone there and they steal from you do not expect the courts to provide any fair relief. If you deal in Liechtenstein, you cannot trust anyone.

I guess you might want to do some kind of due diligence. There are thousands of structures in Liechtenstein and everything is functioning just fine for decades.

With all due respect, I think you are being naive. To say things are functioning fine when the courts are approving the theft of beneficiaries money in trust, which is perhaps one of the worst white collar crimes one can engage in, is so misleading to the point it reflects poorly on you and Liechtenstein. You have single handily convinced me not only to not invest in Liechtenstein but to warn anyone I ever encounter to not do it, it seems to be some kind of cultural view there that stealing trust money is fine.
 
it seems to be some kind of cultural view there that stealing trust money is fine.

Absolutely wrong.

It feels like you are generalizing things to the extreme. As I told - there are bad guys too, who are corrupt, who steal money, but there are many more, who are in the opposite. You can't write down the whole country based on bad stories. Nobody talks about good ones. You can find similarities in every country. With all due respect. ;)
 
Absolutely wrong.

It feels like you are generalizing things to the extreme. As I told - there are bad guys too, who are corrupt, who steal money, but there are many more, who are in the opposite. You can't write down the whole country based on bad stories. Nobody talks about good ones. You can find similarities in every country. With all due respect. ;)
Maybe I am wrong, I can accept this, but can you show me examples of high courts in other nations saying it is ok to steal money from a trust and screw the beneficiary other than Liechtenstein?
 
Foundations are very much different than trusts so I wouldn't worry about this. Liechtenstein is (still) a reputable jurisdiction IMHO.
What are the benefits of Liechtenstein foundations?

They are useless in Marshall Islands as well. Owners must be disclosed yearly, not to your agent, but to the Marshall Islands Registrar of Corporations.
Is it the owner or the UBO?
Like can you hold your marshall island bearer shares in a new mexico llc?
 
Is it the owner or the UBO?
Like can you hold your marshall island bearer shares in a new mexico llc?

I guess they mean UBO. The following is from the article, not from official documents:
"All corporations with bearer shares issued are should, by November 9, 2018, disclosure their beneficial owners to the Marshall Islands registrar or convert the shares to registered shares. Any failure to do so will result in penalties and adverse consequences."
 
If ownership of a company is split across at least 4 persons (e.g. family members), then there are no Persons of Significant Control since that definition is of those owning more than 25%. Would this also mean that there are technically no UBOs?
 
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If ownership of a company is split across at least 4 persons (e.g. family members), then there are no Persons of Significant Control since that definition is of those owning more than 25%. Would this also mean that there are technically no UBOs?
The best way to do this, would be to get some front person who gives you letter of resignation as director in advance or letter of sales of shares, preferably a stupid person with borderline mental disability or possibly low iq like an illegal from guatamala who doesn't know what they are signing but is happy to get beer money.
 
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The best way to do this, would be to get some front person who gives you letter of resignation as director in advance or letter of sales of shares, preferably a stupid person with borderline mental disability or possibly low iq like an illegal from guatamala who doesn't know what they are signing but is happy to get beer money.
Okay we are back to the old story that is going at OffshoreCorpTalk and the homeless Mexican :)

I agree this would be the best option to avoid troube at first and it looks like it works for people that indeed put it in action but not sure if it is viable way.
 
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Okay we are back to the old story that is going at OffshoreCorpTalk and the homeless Mexican :)

I agree this would be the best option to avoid troube at first and it looks like it works for people that indeed put it in action but not sure if it is viable way.
Maybe I'm missing something here, but why would it not work?
 
Okay we are back to the old story that is going at OffshoreCorpTalk and the homeless Mexican :)

I agree this would be the best option to avoid troube at first and it looks like it works for people that indeed put it in action but not sure if it is viable way.

Would it necessarily need to be 4 individuals or could it simply be 4 shell companies under 4 different law firms?

Sorry if dumb question, new here
 
I’ve heard that you usually don’t have to pay fines for speeding in other countries as a Liechtenstein resident - because their courts don’t give a f**k. Liechtenstein simply never signed the relevant treaties.

Hasn’t Liechtenstein signed treaties on legal assistance in tax matters with several countries? So how safe are those foundations then?
And as others have mentioned here, can’t the country you’re resident in simply throw you into jail and demand you have your foundation hand over the money or they’ll keep you there forever?