E-commerce businesses startup question:

August 27, 2017 4:09 AM

Where should we register our company?

My partner and I are starting an e-commerce business selling garments. She is American and I am Canadian. Our supply is in China and our sales will be worldwide. We both physically reside in China. I have been living outside of Canada for a number of years and am a non resident for tax purposes.

For tax purposes, where should we register our business to minimize our tax burden? We are both professionals with other day jobs and do not need to repatriate our profits into China. Profits are to be repatriated into our respective home countries.

This is the first time we are doing this and we are quite clueless. Any pointers to the right direction of research will be much appreciated.

posted by BeaverTerror to Work & Money (2 answers total)

Short answer: American or Canadian tax lawyer or accountant in China who works with expats. If you hadn't planned an adequate legal and accounting budget for your new venture, you can correct that error now.
posted by JimN2TAW at 4:21 AM on August 27, 2017 [5 favorites]

Ditto what Jim said. There may also be other considerations beyond tax implications—and I say that as a consumer lawyer who immediately researches the corporate filings of any potential defendant, looking for individuals' names and registration defects. You need professional advice, not AskMe.
posted by cribcage at 8:34 AM on August 27, 2017 [2 favorites]