Expanding Overseas

Expanding your reach into new territories around the world is an exciting step for any business. Like every ambition, growing a business internationally requires confidence, determination - and careful and thorough planning.

Whether you’re selling or buying goods and services, moving or hiring staff, or opening up a new branch, doing business in a new country brings with it a brand new set of regulations and considerations.

Our International Tax team, together with our Moore Global Network, can help you ensure that your compliance obligations are met and your tax position is optimised, allowing you to focus on building your business and reputation in your new geographical market.

Our experts can advise on:

International corporate tax

There are a myriad of corporate tax angles to think about when operating overseas.

Establishing international subsidiaries can have an impact on your UK company, and with a variety of tax regimes differing from country to country, even the initial decision about where you expand into will require careful consideration. Transfer pricing and double taxation are also important aspects of operating internationally and the legislation in this area can be complex.

Making sales, basing staff or opening premises overseas can create an unintentional ‘taxable presence’, which can lead to foreign tax compliance liabilities. Additionally, selling overseas may lead to withholding tax on payments from customers. This can have significant cash flow impact and result in unexpected tax costs.

Our team can help you mitigate the risks of creating unintended taxable presences as well as provide tailored advice on the most efficient way to structure your operations if you do wish to create a fixed place of business overseas.

Indirect taxes

Customs duties and VAT need to be considered when purchasing or selling goods across borders, as these indirect taxes can add additional expense which may not be recoverable. If your goods are in another jurisdiction from your business establishment when sold, you could find yourself with tax registration and reporting implications in that country.

Moving staff overseas can also have VAT implications, and clarification will be needed on where the VAT will be accounted for and by whom.

At Johnston Carmichael we have a specialist VAT & Duty team who can support you in recognising and accounting for your VAT liabilities, whatever form your overseas operations may take.

Global mobility

Immigration status, payroll tax withholding, social security management, expenses reimbursement and inter-company recharging – these are just some of the complex areas to consider when transferring employees from one location to another.

From structuring efficient cross-border employment arrangements to managing individual remuneration packages, our Global Mobility team has the knowledge and experience to ensure that cost-effective and compliant solutions are always at the top of your agenda.