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| Offshore secrets: how many UK companies are run from overseas havens? | Offshore secrets: how many UK companies are run from overseas havens? |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| Among the latest revelations from the Guardian's Offshore Secrets series is a sense of how many of the three million companies registered at Companies House are controlled from offshore territories. | Among the latest revelations from the Guardian's Offshore Secrets series is a sense of how many of the three million companies registered at Companies House are controlled from offshore territories. |
| A first sense of the scale of such offshore control of British businesses is given in the Guardian's new story today: | A first sense of the scale of such offshore control of British businesses is given in the Guardian's new story today: |
| More than 175,000 UK-registered companies have used directors giving addresses in offshore jurisdictions, the Guardian has established. This raises fresh concerns about the scale of Britain's involvement in offshore secrecy arrangements. | More than 175,000 UK-registered companies have used directors giving addresses in offshore jurisdictions, the Guardian has established. This raises fresh concerns about the scale of Britain's involvement in offshore secrecy arrangements. |
| Data obtained from the corporate information service Duedil reveals 177,020 companies have listed directors in jurisdictions such as the Channel Islands, British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Dubai and the Seychelles. | Data obtained from the corporate information service Duedil reveals 177,020 companies have listed directors in jurisdictions such as the Channel Islands, British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Dubai and the Seychelles. |
| More than 60,000 of those companies are listed as currently active on Companies House, the official register of UK businesses. | More than 60,000 of those companies are listed as currently active on Companies House, the official register of UK businesses. |
| Having directors in offshore jurisdictions does not indicate a company is doing anything illegal, or that a director is necessarily a sham. British expats who retain directorships of their business would feature in this data, as do "personal services companies" based in the Isle of Man, which help self-employed people incorporate themselves as a limited company. | Having directors in offshore jurisdictions does not indicate a company is doing anything illegal, or that a director is necessarily a sham. British expats who retain directorships of their business would feature in this data, as do "personal services companies" based in the Isle of Man, which help self-employed people incorporate themselves as a limited company. |
| What's also telling, however, is breakdown of which territories have the most directors of UK companies, posted below. | What's also telling, however, is breakdown of which territories have the most directors of UK companies, posted below. |
| The scale of company ownership in some of these territories is huge: in the British Virgin Islands there are three UK companies for every four citizens. In the Isle of Man there is a UK company registration for every two people. | The scale of company ownership in some of these territories is huge: in the British Virgin Islands there are three UK companies for every four citizens. In the Isle of Man there is a UK company registration for every two people. |
| In Sark the situation is still more stark: counting now defunct companies, there are 24 UK companies registered on the island for every person there. | In Sark the situation is still more stark: counting now defunct companies, there are 24 UK companies registered on the island for every person there. |
| Below, using data gathered for the Guardian by DueDil, we've listed the number of companies registered in 13 different territories. | Below, using data gathered for the Guardian by DueDil, we've listed the number of companies registered in 13 different territories. |
| We've split the list in two different ways: companies listed as 'active' on Companies House (the official UK register) versus 'inactive', and also split between directorships which are still current and ones which have been resigned. | We've split the list in two different ways: companies listed as 'active' on Companies House (the official UK register) versus 'inactive', and also split between directorships which are still current and ones which have been resigned. |
| If you've got any comments or thoughts on these activities, leave a comment on our main news story today, or (if you'd prefer to comment confidentially), email me at james.ball@guardian.co.uk. | If you've got any comments or thoughts on these activities, leave a comment on our main news story today, or (if you'd prefer to comment confidentially), email me at james.ball@guardian.co.uk. |
| UK companies with offshore directors | UK companies with offshore directors |
| . | . |
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