Setting up an office in Australia

[BillyB]

All,

Has anyone gone through this process of setting up presence in Australia as an extension of a Singapore subsidiary of a UK HQ'd company?

I'm not looking for links or google results. I'd like to pick your brains over coffee / lunch and understand everything about this process and what needs to be done, any pitfalls to be aware of, cover all the scenarios available, and understand this from first hand experience.

Thanks in advance.

Billy

[Mad Scientist]

All,

Has anyone gone through this process of setting up presence in Australia as an extension of a Singapore subsidiary of a UK HQ'd company?

I'm not looking for links or google results. I'd like to pick your brains over coffee / lunch and understand everything about this process and what needs to be done, any pitfalls to be aware of, cover all the scenarios available, and understand this from first hand experience.

Thanks in advance.

Billy

Ahem ........ it will cost you dearly

[BillyB]

All,

Has anyone gone through this process of setting up presence in Australia as an extension of a Singapore subsidiary of a UK HQ'd company?

I'm not looking for links or google results. I'd like to pick your brains over coffee / lunch and understand everything about this process and what needs to be done, any pitfalls to be aware of, cover all the scenarios available, and understand this from first hand experience.

Thanks in advance.

Billy

Ahem ........ it will cost you dearly

Really insightful and helpful reply......

[Strong Eagle]

All,

Has anyone gone through this process of setting up presence in Australia as an extension of a Singapore subsidiary of a UK HQ'd company?

I'm not looking for links or google results. I'd like to pick your brains over coffee / lunch and understand everything about this process and what needs to be done, any pitfalls to be aware of, cover all the scenarios available, and understand this from first hand experience.

Thanks in advance.

Billy

Ahem ........ it will cost you dearly

And be a major hassle to set up. I looked into setting up an AU wholly owned pte ltd... there are many hoops to jump through... and once you have a business there, the tax reporting is a seriously large pain in the arse.

I ended up creating a tax entity for my company and hiring an AU company. In the end, it meant I was refunded all the VAT I paid the company since they paid VAT on their earnings. I could probably dig up the details. It has been a while.

[Vaucluse]

I've done it several times for US companies and don't quite see why this is made to look so difficult.

Find an accountant, doesn't need to be a top notch one - mine was a guy whose offices were two blocks away from my place in Coogee.

They can set it all up rather quickly, no stress, no hassle . . . and he/she can also do your taxes for you. Comp and personal

[Strong Eagle]

I've done it several times for US companies and don't quite see why this is made to look so difficult.

Find an accountant, doesn't need to be a top notch one - mine was a guy whose offices were two blocks away from my place in Coogee.

They can set it all up rather quickly, no stress, no hassle . . . and he/she can also do your taxes for you. Comp and personal

Where you been, compadre?

[Mad Scientist]

All,

Has anyone gone through this process of setting up presence in Australia as an extension of a Singapore subsidiary of a UK HQ'd company?

I'm not looking for links or google results. I'd like to pick your brains over coffee / lunch and understand everything about this process and what needs to be done, any pitfalls to be aware of, cover all the scenarios available, and understand this from first hand experience.

Thanks in advance.

Billy

Ahem ........ it will cost you dearly

I am an Ozzie hence I do know a few things on OZ set up

Really insightful and helpful reply......

[Vaucluse]

I've done it several times for US companies and don't quite see why this is made to look so difficult.

Find an accountant, doesn't need to be a top notch one - mine was a guy whose offices were two blocks away from my place in Coogee.

They can set it all up rather quickly, no stress, no hassle . . . and he/she can also do your taxes for you. Comp and personal

Where you been, compadre?

Hola amigo! (I apologise to our Columbian friends) Still here, just not posting much.
You're still going strong I hear

[BillyB]

Ahem ........ it will cost you dearly

I am an Ozzie hence I do know a few things on OZ set up

Really insightful and helpful reply......

I'm not disputing that you don't know - I was hoping that you can elaborate on your statement and provide further info.

I know the ballpark prices it will cost - what I'm more interested in are the finer details e.g. Do you need local staff in the office, what are the payroll implications and do you use a third party to manage that, do you need a third party to run with the paperwork or is it anyone can do, can you issue invoices without having full time staff on the ground, can you run the office as an extension of a Singapore office, how much time are staff allowed on the ground in Aus before they are liable for Aussie tax etc.

[Vaucluse]

^ Your friendly accountant can answer all these questions and more . . .

If you need a good one I have a choice of two to offer you, in Sydney.

One is Arthur, a quirky Jewish guy who is simply sublime and plays with his yarmulke while chatting with you . . .

. . . the other is Theo, the Greek. He still lives with his parents at the age of 50 . . . but is a stickler for the minutiae of tax law.

One is in Coogee, the other in Kingsford/Kensington . . . anywhere outside of Sydney . . . well, it's just not worth living there, is it

[Splatted]

Just visit an accountant - they will help you register for ABN +/- register for GST. etc etc

You can do it all yourself, but it can get messy if you aren't clear of what all the options mean.

Just make sure you pick an accountant thats EXPERIENCED in your industry.

[wanita001]

All,

Has anyone gone through this process of setting up presence in Australia as an extension of a Singapore subsidiary of a UK HQ'd company?

I'm not looking for links or google results. I'd like to pick your brains over coffee / lunch and understand everything about this process and what needs to be done, any pitfalls to be aware of, cover all the scenarios available, and understand this from first hand experience.

Thanks in advance.

Billy

We have a business in Sydney and just slightly more than 2 years ago setup a business in Spore. We have a few staff in Sydney office but generally we still run Sydney office from Spore. It is fairly easy to do this provided you have good and dedicated staff in Sydney office which I have.

With a blackberry and notebook I monitor my Sydney staff's work, deal with ATO, pay bills and wages from Spore office. Some clients dont even realise I am dealing with them from Spore. Its double the work but so challenging.

One thing for sure, having business in Australia is pretty costly (& lots and lots of paperwork for the govt!).

So I can say I have first hand experience in running an office in Australia, just shoot me any questions you may have - glad to assist if I can.