Can I simply use a company in one of the tax havens and pay no Corporation Tax?
A. That may be the best solution for you and will not stop the shares in the company being held in a CIT. The advantage of a Cypriot company is that you will have the protection of the UK-Cyprus double tax treaty and it will be far easier to show to the Inland Revenue that the structure is bona fide if you are Cypriot domiciled and have made all arrangements to invest in Cyprus from there. Cypriot banks are likely to be more relaxed about mortgage finance if they are lending to a company structure they understand.
