Formerly known as British Honduras, Belize is a Central American country bordered by Mexico to the north, with the Caribbean on its eastern side and Guatemala located on its southern and western sides. Belize covers 8,867 square miles (22,960 km²) of territory, with Belmopan as its capital.
Belize society is comprised of many diverse cultures, speaking many languages. Belize is the only Central American country to have English as its official language. Many of its citizens also speak Kriol and Spanish.
With an economy based on the exportation of sugar, citrus fruits, bananas, sugar, timber, fish,seafood and other seafood products, it comes as no surprise that the majority of Belize’s more 320,000 people survive on a low per capita GDP of $ 7881(est. 2008).
Belize’s countryside mixes its heritage founded on the ancient Mayan culture, with jungles, waterfalls, rivers, caves and mountains, which has brought it to the worlds attention as a eco-friendly tourist destination. It has the world’s only jaguar preserve, along with other attractions like marine resorts, wildlife sanctuaries and forest reserves.
There has been a significant increase in Belize’s banking and financial services industry in recent years. Offshore banking and privatized banking has become a highly profitable asset here.
Adding liberal trade programs and increasing its access to outside markets has help the country to plan a strategy that will increase the demand for its offshore investment services.
Belize’s telecommunications infrastructure is comprehensive. The country also has direct flights daily to the United States, and international courier services that provide it with connections to anywhere in the world. It is easy to reach, easy to communicate in, and easy to open an offshore bank account.
The Belize Court system is based on the English system of Common Law supplemented with local legislation. The court of final appeal on questions of law is the Privy Council of the House of Lords in England.
Queen Elizabeth II is the chief of state, represented by the Governor General. The Head of State is the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the Governor General and also serves as the leader of the majority party. He in turn appoints the Deputy Prime Minister.
National Assembly consists of 2 branches. There is the Senate with its eight members, five appointed on the advice of the prime minister, two on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one by the governor general. Members of the Senate are appointed for five-year terms. The 29 members of the House of Representatives are elected by direct popular vote and serve 5 year terms.
For any business in a hurry to move to Belize as an offshore tax haven, should consider the fact that the country has made it possible to become incorporated in 1-3 days. This is a good indication of how “business friendly” Belize really is.
Englishman Peter Macfarlane is an author and lecturer on offshore finance, investment, due diligence and wealth creation matters. After fifteen years advising high net worth clients on offshore asset protection structures such as companies, trusts and private interest foundations, he decided on a career change and now mentors individuals who are interested in creating, preserving and growing wealth in a secure offshore environment. Peter defines wealth in the broadest sense, believing that money is worthless if you don’t have health and happiness. He is now joint editor of The Q Wealth Report, a publication dedicated to publishing freedom, wealth and privacy information for a select audience. He offers a free sample copy to readers of ezineseeker. You can visit The Q Wealth Report to get a deeper understanding of private offshore banking.