Methods of accessing the U.S. can range from using a local representative, through to setting up a new company in the U.S. or acquiring an existing U.S. company. This has been considered in more detail in our article ‘Setting up or expanding overseas - Our recommendations for business owners considering their international strategy.’
1. Using local representation to export to the U.S.
This can be the easiest and quickest way to access the U.S. initially. Direct sales through local representation involves collaboration with a U.S. based agent, representative, distributor or dealer. Each of these are distinct and you need to decide whether you only deal with one of these and you must be clear on how each of these differs. It is important to conduct appropriate due diligence, which should involve a U.S. lawyer who should also be involved in drafting agreements and contracts.
2. Sales through a local branch or subsidiary in the U.S.
This may be a better option for the long-term, but could be more expensive and the tax impact needs to be carefully considered.
3. Joint venture or strategic alliance in the U.S. market
A U.S. lawyer should be involved in the ‘due diligence’ on your prospective joint venture partner and again tax planning is important.
4. Online selling in the U.S.
You can sell your products and services over the internet through your own website which will need to be adapted to support U.S. electronic payments/credit cards, U.S. addresses and zip codes (equivalent of UK post codes) or via an online marketplace.
The UK government has a good ‘selling online overseas’ tool on their website to help find the best place to sell your products online. You can also take advantage of special deals negotiated by the government for UK businesses.
5. Licensing and technology transfer to and within the U.S.
You could choose to license your technology in the U.S. but this comes with specific risks, to avoid this:
In the U.S., it is essential to get a U.S. lawyer involved who understands federal and state legislation.
6. Own office with own staff or partner’s staff in the U.S.
You can put your own managers and staff on the ground in the U.S. and start your office or you can work through a partner via a joint marketing agreement or strategic alliance. Both options have advantages and disadvantages. You will need to consider the tax and legal implications as well as the laws and regulations around global mobility, such as the requirement for visas if employing or moving people across borders. It can be expensive and time consuming obtaining the correct work visas.
7. Company acquisition in the U.S.
You can get market share by acquiring a competitor or supplier that is already in the U.S. This gives you instant presence, market intelligence, access to customers and infrastructure, but again requires strong due diligence.
Opening a bank account in the U.S. can be challenging as you won’t have a U.S. credit record and they also have robust ‘know your client’ procedures which can be very demanding. It is common for smaller businesses to struggle with these as they are designed for large multinationals and require a lot of details including information on risk and training. The UK banks which have branches or associate banks in the U.S. should make the process easier and may be a good first port of call.
Getting paid in the U.S. may be less of a risk than with some other countries, but you should ensure you have a clear contract specifying the terms for payment. If a dispute arises you will need to go through the U.S. legal system for resolution. This generally takes place in the U.S. state specified in the contract and abides by state laws. UK Export Finance (UKEF) can help UK companies to get paid by insuring against buyer default.
Cashflow generally needs careful consideration and this is covered in our piece on ‘Easing the impact on cashflow when exporting goods and services’.
Trading with the U.S. and the method you use to achieve this can have many tax implications and, when putting your plan together, you need to consider the impact of all taxes and tariffs on your profitability. This is a highly complex area and the type of trading, product and the state you are operating in will all have an impact. It is impossible to cover all of these aspects in one article, so we have used a case study here to highlight some of the points which you should be aware of.
Case One: Selling into the US with no physical presence except for stockIf the only activity the foreign company has in the U.S. is holding title to stock in an independent warehouse, then the company is usually protected from federal taxation through the tax treaty. A federal tax filing is normally made with the IRS to show the protected activities and to disclose the treaty position, but no tax is due with the tax return. Depending on the state where the activity takes place, state tax filings may be required and state tax may be due since most states do not follow the federal treaty protection. Each state has its own measure for nexus (akin to the treaty concept of Permanent Establishment, or “PE”). The tax treaty and respective state tax rules should be reviewed to confirm the proper filings and taxes are completed and remitted timely. Some state taxes that may apply are sales and use tax, income tax, franchise or gross receipts tax, or property taxes. |
Case Two: Hiring an employee in the U.S. without a separate US entityThe income tax treaty with the U.S. protects activities which are preparatory or auxiliary in nature from creating a filing requirement in the U.S. Thus, UK employees may be sent to the U.S. to better understand the U.S. market without creating a filing requirement. |
Case Three: Creation of a separate U.S. legal entityMost companies will want to ring-fence the activities in the US for legal and tax reasons. Therefore, if the activities will be such that a PE will be created, the foreign parent will typically want to create a separate U.S. legal entity and elect to treat it as a corporation for U.S. tax purposes. Since the filing is made for a separate entity, this limits the authority of the U.S. to the records on only the U.S. entity. State filings are also required for states where the U.S. entity has sufficient activity to generate nexus (similar to permanent establishment), which can vary by state. The federal tax rate for corporations is 21% and the state rates vary depending on what states the entity has nexus in, ranging from no corporate income tax to 12%. |
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