From MetaFilter

The secretive business havens of Cyprus and the Cayman Islands face a potent rival: Cheyenne, Wyoming. At a single address in this sleepy city of 60,000 people, more than 2,000 companies are registered. The building, 2710 Thomes Avenue, isn’t a shimmering skyscraper filled with A-list corporations. It’s a 1,700-square-foot brick house with a manicured lawn, a few blocks from the State Capitol. See: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/28/us-usa-shell-companies-idUSTRE75R20Z20110628

Why Incorporate in Wyoming

Wyoming state fees are less than most other states. Wyoming has no business license fees or officer filing fees.  This means we can deliver a quality company package for much less than you would pay in Nevada or Delaware. And, your Wyoming state renewal fee is, in most cases, $50, that is 84% less than what you will pay in Nevada.   Wyoming is one of the most cost effective states to incorporate in and also to maintain in the following years.  (Click here for pricing.)

And, the nice thing about Wyoming is that are many other reasons to incorporate:

Asset Protection

A Wyoming corporation or LLC offers its officers and directors the highest degree of protection from lawsuits filed by disgruntled creditors or overzealous plaintiff attorneys. Doing business as a Wyoming Corporation or LLC can give you asset protection and business privacy.

The first LLC statutes in the United States were instituted in Wyoming in 1977 and changed in 2010 to stay current with the times. Since Wyoming has had limited liability companies available longer than any other state and has the strongest laws protecting members and managers of an LLC, we feel it is the state of choice for establishing LLC’s.

Privacy

Wyoming does not require the manager nor the members of an LLC to be listed on a public database.   Nevada requires a tax ID number of the company and personal guarantee by you on the state’s business license.

Freedom

You can operate your Corporation and live anywhere in the world and you do not have to be a US citizen to incorporate in Wyoming. But, in order to give substance to your operation, you should know about our Office Service Contract and learn how use of this inexpensive option will give “presence” to your remote corporate operations. And, if you are not a US Citizen, we have a section for you to read here.

No State Taxes

There are no State taxes in Wyoming on corporations. If you choose to incorporate in Wyoming, your company may not pay State taxes at all. Stop for a minute and think what you paid last year in your States income tax. If you are comparing Nevada and Wyoming, keep in mind that the Nevada State Legislature is being lobbied hard to install a corporate income tax. Don’t gamble that this will not happen.

According to the new 2013 edition of the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index, “Wyoming has the most business-friendly tax system of any state,” for the fourth year in a row.  And it has a budget surplus!

Easy to move your company to Wyoming

Wyoming has made it easy to move your existing corporation to Wyoming.  You can move it from any other state or country in the world, to Wyoming.  That service is detailed here.

Special Easy-to-Use Wyoming Corporate Structures

Wyoming has Close Corporations. These are special companies authorized by the Wyoming Legislature for small business owners. Less paperwork is required to keep them going. Few states have them. You can read about them here.

Wyoming now has Close LLC’s. Less paperwork. Easier to manage. Perfect for a closely held family company. You can see the details here.

Wyoming has Asset Protection Trusts. This is the best asset protection you can get inside the US. Details are here.

Wyoming Corporate Services, Inc. has been in business in Cheyenne, Wyoming since 2003.  We specialize in helping you incorporate in “tax free” Wyoming and have strategies to help you lower your tax liability in your home state, increase your asset protection, and give you back your privacy. We think that you will find the information you need, on this site, to help you make the decision to start your company in Wyoming!

For more: http://wyomingcompany.com/

Shell Game: 2,000 Firms Based In One Simple House – “”You can get just as much secrecy in a place like Wyoming or Nevada as you can get in the Caymans or Switzerland,” Grow says.” See: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/02/137573513/shell-game-2-000-firms-based-in-one-simple-house

Onshore Secrecy, Offshore Transparency at: http://www.step.org/onshore-secrecy-offshore-transparency

Seventeen of the 45 attempts to solicit anonymous corporate vehicles met with success. Of these, 13 of 17 successful approaches were to service providers in OECD countries (seven in the UK, four in the United States, one in Spain, and one in Canada). This compared with only four service providers of 28 willing to provide anonymous shell companies in countries often identified as ‘tax havens’ (Hong Kong, Singapore, Belize and Uruguay). Corporate service providers in jurisdictions like Bermuda, the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Seychelles and Panama were punctilious in their customer due diligence. The same was true even of smaller centres like Dominica and Nauru.

Haven Hypocrisy: Big economies are leaning on offshore tax havens. But greater abuse may be taking place at home at: http://www.economist.com/node/13382279

Launderers Anonymous – A study highlights how easy it is to set up untraceable companies at: http://www.economist.com/node/21563286

Much of China’s web traffic mysteriously sent to Wyoming shell company at: http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/22/5335410/china-web-traffic-directed-wyoming-house-great-firewall

PHOTO: No human lives in this house in Cheyenne, Wyo. The residents are a couple of thousand mailboxes belonging to shell companies.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.metafilter.com/135918/Shell-Games