Singapore has long served as a strategic base for companies with regional and global operations. Strategic location, market accessibility, excellent connectivity, strong business infrastructure, a skilled workforce and a stable political environment are major draws for companies using Singapore as a launch pad for tapping regional and global business opportunities.

Singapore has an extensive tax treaty network. To date, it has inked tax treaties with over 50 countries, including most of those in the region. Singapore-based holding companies are therefore able to benefit from the reduction in withholding taxes in dividends, interest and royalties offered by these tax treaties. Companies looking for a springboard to Asia should consider profiting from Singapore's business-friendly tax policies.

• Not perceived as a tax haven
• Good for trading companies
• High technical expertise
• Strong supporting professional infrastructure
• Multi-lingual jurisdiction
• Low taxation
• Low or no withholding tax on overseas dividends received by the holding company
• Little or no incremental income tax payable in the holding company jurisdiction on incoming dividends
• No capital gains tax on exit - that is, no taxation on the sale of shares in the subsidiary, in both the subsidiary jurisdiction and the holding company jurisdiction
• Low or no tax on repatriation of income from the holding company jurisdiction to the home country
• Well-known and respected jurisdiction
• Shelf companies available