Question

Are entities in Sweden and the US wholly-owned subsidiaries or branch offices? How are those determinations made?

Answer 1

Answer:

Sweden is generally considered a highly-favorable investment destination.  Sweden offers an extremely competitive, open economy with access to new products, technologies, skills, and innovations.  Sweden also has a well-educated labor force, outstanding communication infrastructure, and a stable political environment, which makes it a choice destination for U.S. and foreign companies.  Low levels of corporate tax, the absence of withholding tax on dividends, and a favorable holding company regime are additional incentives for doing business in Sweden.

Sweden’s attractiveness as an investment destination is tempered by a few structural, business challenges.  These include high personal and VAT tax regimes. In addition, the high cost of labor, rigid labor laws and regulations, a persistent housing shortage, and the general high cost of living in Sweden can present challenges to attracting, hiring, and maintaining talent for new firms entering Sweden.  Historically, the telecommunications, information technology, healthcare, energy, and public transport sectors have attracted the most foreign investment. However, manufacturing, wholesale, and retail trade have also recently attracted increased foreign funds.

Overall, investment conditions remain largely favorable.  Forbes Magazine ranked Sweden second in “The Best Countries for Business for 2019,” a ranking that takes into account factors such as property rights, innovation, taxes, technology, corruption, freedom, red tape, and investor protection.  In the World Economic Forum’s 2017-2018 Competitiveness Report Sweden was ranked twelfth out of 138 countries in overall competiveness and productivity.  Also in 2018, Transparency International ranked Sweden as one of the most corruption-free countries in the world –third out of 180.

In addition, Sweden is well equipped to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with a superior IT infrastructure.  Bloomberg’s 2019 Innovation Index ranked Sweden in seventh place among the most innovative nations on earth. Sweden is a global leader in adopting new technologies and setting new consumer trends.  U.S. and other exporters can take advantage of a test market full of demanding, highly sophisticated customers.