Investing in Australia is quick, licensing requirements are clear and obtaining credit is easy.

100% foreign ownership is permitted when investing in Australia. An Australian limited liability company is the most popular for foreign entrepreneurs.

A strong, attractive image is presented to your international customers and suppliers when investing in Australia. Australia is a stable, well regulated jurisdiction and if you are looking at partners to join you in investing in Australia, a local company is an excellent vehicle to attract financing.

No minimum capital requirements are present when investing in Australia via company incorporation.

Australia company law states that a resident director is required when investing in Australia. A company secretary is no longer required.

Entrepreneurs investing in Australia are required to pay corporate tax on all globally-sourced income. The corporate tax rate is 30%.

An Australian company requires an annual audit after investing in Australia, and must also submit annual accounts and a tax return. Shareholder / Director details are also available on a public register following company set up.

Asset management in Australia may also be achieved through Australia trust formation. Another of the important investment options in Australia, this Australia asset management services is designed for entrepreneurs and high net worth investors who need to migrate their assets into an offshore trust. Thereafter, our clients no longer own the assets, thus minimising international taxation and optimising asset protection. Trust formation is an effective form of asset management in Australia.

The Australian government offers entrepreneurs a range of investment incentives. The body that manages these initiatives is AUSTRAD. Austrade, a government agency, offers assistance with:

Assistance in training, research & development (R&D) and export market development;

Streamlined immigration procedures;

Sales tax exemption for selected used equipment;

Assistance with obtaining information for site selection;

Introductions to relevant government agencies and professional service providers.

One scheme under Austrade is the Export Markets Development Grant (EMDG). Under this scheme, small and medium-sized Australian Companies are encouraged to develop their export markets. Eligible Companies can receive up to 50% reimbursement on export promotion expenses above a threshold of A$10,000. To be eligible, Companies must have spent more than A$10,000 on export promotion expenses and have income of less than A$50 million.

Another Australian government agency is AusIndustry. AusIndustry is under the department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. The agency is tasked with growth in the areas of innovation, investment and international competitiveness.

AusIndustry incentives are based on grants schemes where applicants are awarded assistance based on the merits of their application. AusIndustry provides for a large of number of Australia Investment Incentive schemes. Below are some examples of these schemes.

Commercial Ready - a program that provides A$200 million in competitive grants to small and medium-sized businesses.

Green Car Innovation Fund - Provides grants of 25% of expenditure on projects that promote the R&D and commercialization of Australian fuel optimization or greenhouse gas emission reduction technologies in passenger motor vehicles.

Textile Clothing and Footwear Strategic Capability Program - Matches dollar for dollar the R&D expenditure in innovative projects that aim to improve Australia’s Textile Clothing and Footwear industry.

Retooling for Climate Change- Provides grants of between $10,000 to $500,000 to small and medium sized Australian manufacturers with projects that aim to improve their environmental footprint.

The Australian government considers some of the following criteria when assessing eligibility for Australia investment incentives: i) would the investment occur without incentive, ii) does the investment provide economic benefit, iii) does the investment substitute existing production capacity in Australia and create unfair advantage over rival projects.

Both foreign and Australian investors are eligible for Australia investment incentives.

Australia's State and Territory governments also actively court inward investment and may offer incentives to encourage Australia Company incorporation.

Australia has strong Intellectual Property (IP) laws in place for those planning to set up a company in Australia to develop or utilise trademarks, copyrights and patents.

Healy Consultants assists clients with all the procedures required for Australia company registration.

For additional information on investing in Australia and incentives for Australia investment, contact email@healyconsultants.com or telephone us in Sydney at (+61) 280 147 568.

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