subject: Accounting Services And Various Issues To Consider When Creating A Business In The Philippines [print this page] Today's business climate in the West, however enormously strengthening, stays rather high risk. This makes Asia one of the best choices for those hunting for a location to make investments and set up shop. One of many countries that hold much potential is the Philippines. Creating a small business in the Philippines should be an exceptionally desirable choice with its young, well-educated in addition to English speaking workforce.
Philippine legal requirements on organizations
The most rock-solid conditions in the legal requirements, particularly in the Philippine Constitution itself, for setting up a business enterprise in the Philippines is always that a non-Filipino citizen could only personally own up to 40% of any Philippine-based , particularly if it is a public resource like power generation and media channels.
The Foreign Investments Act of 1991, and its amendment in 1996, liberalized the guidelines to help make it easier for foreign financiers building a business in the Philippines. They could own up to 100% of a domestic market enterprise with a bare minimum paid-in money of US$ 200,000. Having not less than 50 direct employees or using advanced modern technology can lessen the mandatory capital to US$ 100,000.
In order to build a retail business in the Philippines, full possession may be possible. One condition is your paid-up money should be US$ 2.5 million and no less than US$ 830,000 was used in starting your shop. The other is if your structured business in the Philippines centers on high-end or luxurious products (like Marks & Spencer), with a paid-up funding per store of no less than US$ 250,000.
Foreign people may also completely own an export business venture (looked as a business in the Philippines that exports no less than 60% of its output) if its paid-up funds is US$ 200,000. Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) are deemed export enterprises. These are a number of the more lucrative organizations running on the country caused by favorable tax bonuses and other benefits.
Other choices
People who find themselves hesitant or unable to put up the capital needed for complete possession can still sustain a company for their business in the Philippines. They could research putting together either a branch office or representative office. Branch offices are locally registered extensions of a parent enterprise in another nation. Using a start-up funds of US$ 200,000 (that can be reduced to US$ 100,000), you can generate profits in the Philippines while being controlled by the guidelines of the country where your parent firm resides.
An agent office resembles a branch office only that it wouldn't get paid anything in the Philippines. It basically presents the interests of the mother firm offshore. It only requires US$ 30,000 and low maintenance.
Many other concerns
In addition to allowed by the law and financial challenges, foreigners desperate to set up a business in the Philippines also confront troubles in acclimatizing to other aspects of the country, like its financial system and way of life. The Philippine tax structure can certainly be a concern to those new to it so organizations generally outsource their accounting services to local firms informed about the ins and outs of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and its structure.
A conflict of cultures can also happen involving foreign bosses and native workers given the issues between the two. A newly established business in the Philippines usually outsources its human resources, too, as local specialists know how to gauge and prod local hires to living up to the standards of their foreign bosses.
