I’m from Croatia, and starting and running a company here is expensive. Estonia makes it much easier, so you might think: why not open a company in Estonia? But here is a problem: If your clients are in Croatia and you have a Croatian company, you don’t have to charge VAT if you earn under 60k per year. But if your company is in Estonia, you are required to charge VAT even if you earn under 60k.
EU–INC – A new pan-European legal entity
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Re: EU–INC – A new pan-European legal entity
#222Earlier quoted context omitted.
The question is always the same: do you really need UG/GmbH at the beginning? It’s typical rookie mistake. I did it too, sold the company for 1€ to some shady people at the end. Gewerbe with 40000€ in the company’s account does not have the problems anymore. And the expensive tax consultants are just another cost of doing business in Germany. Ok, the quality of Finanzamt clerks varies heavily depending on location. C…
Maybe I should have taken another road considering the size of my operations, unfortunately I was wrongly advised when starting up, I spent 1k with a Steuerberatung for advice on what was the proper structure for me, and still… I think they just adviced me the option that was gonna cost me the most to operate. Lesson learned I guess!
My feeling about tax consultants in Germany is that most of them are scammers helping lazy people to enter mandatory things in corresponding Elster fields. The ones with knowledge are super rare. Better ask AI and then verify the information, that’s cheaper and makes more sense.
Re: EU–INC – A new pan-European legal entity
#223It's inordinately difficult and expensive to start an LLC or SA in some EU countries. It's even difficult and expensive to _stop_ an LLC and dissolve it. Huge amount of risk and cost on founders and a huge distraction from running a business. I think that EU-Inc _could_ be an improvement, but it needs to avoid the committee laundry list of ideas/requirements/form fields that plagues the EU startup ecosystem. My worry…
> My worry is that the end result will require Yes it will. The vast army of bureaucrats in any country does whatever is in their power to make sure their specific requirements are included into the process. What do you mean they would like to open a 3D printing workshop with no Environmental Impact Study done?!
Each time the Commission comes with a new rule, most countries agree with it. And if its an "unpopular", the game for each gov is to blame the EU.
Re: EU–INC – A new pan-European legal entity
#224Earlier quoted context omitted.
Truly, this is one of the greatest losses of the UK leaving. For both parties. Advising EU startups on where to incorporate that isn’t London could be so much simpler.
What about Luxembourg?
Re: EU–INC – A new pan-European legal entity
#225I’m from Croatia, and starting and running a company here is expensive. Estonia makes it much easier, so you might think: why not open a company in Estonia? But here is a problem: If your clients are in Croatia and you have a Croatian company, you don’t have to charge VAT if you earn under 60k per year. But if your company is in Estonia, you are required to charge VAT even if you earn under 60k.
Is this not simply because companies in Estonia enter VAT at 40k per year (rather than 60k)?
(and IIRC Croatia was also at 40k a year ago, now is at 60k with some politicians trying to raise the entry to 100k)
Re: EU–INC – A new pan-European legal entity
#226I would like to see the details on this. The EU has alredy jurisdictions that make it "too easy" to run a company and others that make it exceedingly difficult, and the two are in competition. It's one thing to start a company in cyprus, another to start in Germany. TBH I doubt it's going to be possible with current status. Where will an EU-inc be based, Luxembourg? and how would that be different from any other Lux…
Re: EU–INC – A new pan-European legal entity
#227It's inordinately difficult and expensive to start an LLC or SA in some EU countries. It's even difficult and expensive to _stop_ an LLC and dissolve it. Huge amount of risk and cost on founders and a huge distraction from running a business. I think that EU-Inc _could_ be an improvement, but it needs to avoid the committee laundry list of ideas/requirements/form fields that plagues the EU startup ecosystem. My worry…
That sounds like a really good use for AI.
Re: EU–INC – A new pan-European legal entity
#228I’m based in Denmark and have incorporated multiple companies. It is very easy and digital and costs very little, even if you get a lawyer to do it for you.
Maybe the issue is a few member states that are behind on digitalization?
In my experience EU is better at setting the guidelines and then the member states can implement the details themselves. When they try to push things it becomes bureaucratic - just look at the cookie law and GDPR. Both great ideas but overly complicated.
Re: EU–INC – A new pan-European legal entity
#229Re: EU–INC – A new pan-European legal entity
#230Unfortunately this does not override employment and tax laws - so you still cannot hire someone as an FTE in Paris, from a startup in Berlin for example (without them being a freelancer, or you opening a payroll / tax office in France). But hopefully we can move towards that - standardised taxation (especially VAT and corporation tax would help massively here), the abolition of notaries, standardised requirements for…
You can, Deel etc. make this pretty easy.
Singling out Deel because you brought it up (and I ragequit after reading their "deel" and consulting it with a local lawyer), but I have the exact same story for every employer of record I've been involved with here in EU, and I don't know a single person who's been happy with them either (again, all employees/contractors).
I understand that it's comfortable and convenient for the employer (presumably, or at least the perspective of outsourcing this and reducing liability outweighs everything else), but these companies absolutely do not know what they're doing wrt local laws.