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Hello International Traders! China is not the only success story in Asia, and I've got a site
in this issue that will help you research opportunities with one
of the others -- Singapore. Also, if you paid value added tax
(VAT) as a result of business travel, I've got a site that will
help you get a VAT refund. Want to find out where the lowest
business costs are? I found a study that will give you detailed
information for 128 cities worldwide. Finally, don't make travel
plans until you look for tips, advice, and deals at the site I
found from renowned travel expert Arthur Frommer. And don't forget -- if you'd like more information about
international trade, go to FITA's Really Useful Links (
http://fita.org/webindex/index.html ), which has a link library
of more than 8,000 sites related to international trade.
| SINGAPORE -- OUR FEATURED COUNTRY
The port of Singapore is one of the world's busiest in terms of
tonnage handled, and that makes sense when you realize that this
small country ranked 17th in the world for imports and exports in
2005. That's an amazing statistic, since Singapore is 189th in
the world in terms of land area. It's a tiny country with a big
presence in international trade.
If you want to research trade opportunities with Singapore, a
good place to start is Enter Singapore (
http://www.entersingapore.info/Business_Pilot/Bus02.htm ). Scroll
down the page and you'll find links to information about: risk
factors, economic forecasts, laws and regulations, the terrorism
situation, tourism, political life, financial data, business
contacts, government offices, Free Trade Agreements, starting a
business in Singapore, and much more. I particularly like the
Risk Investigation page (
http://www.entersingapore.info/country/Risk_Invest/Ci_20_set.htm
), which has lots of information about Singapore's laws.
Another good resource is the Singapore Mini Portal (
http://fita.org/countries/singapore.html), one of the new
features at the FITA site. The Mini Portal is a good place to
start your research. There is information about the language,
currency, climate, etc., plus more specific information about the
economy, Singapore markets, taxes, labor market indicators, tips
on doing business, and a search engine to help you find market
research on the Internet. There's also the latest headlines from
Singapore.
Click on "Useful Links" and you'll find a variety of sources for
market research, trade leads, business directories, logistics,
government contacts, travel, financing, and lots more.
The Singapore Mini Portal is one of many research gateways at
the newly redesigned FITA site. To find Mini Portals for other
regions or countries, just click on "Country Profiles" from
within a Mini Portal, or at the FITA home page (
http://www.fita.org ).
FITA's Global Trade Book Store has some excellent books about doing
business in the Singapore. Check out Doing Business With Singapore and Culture Smart! Singapore: A Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette. And the
Singapore American Business Association of Northern California
is a FITA member association. Check out their website
for more resources about doing business with Singapore.
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VAT REFUND
The value added tax, or VAT, is a European tax on goods and
services. It ranges from 5 to 25 percent, and can add up to a
hefty sum. Businesspeople traveling abroad can recover the VAT on
their expenses, but many do not take the trouble to do so. VAT
Refund ( http://www.taxbackinternational.com ) makes it easy for
you. At this site you can see a chart of refundable expenses by
country, calculate your VAT refund, request an application for a
refund, and get expert help with the process. Tax Back
International, the company that runs the site, will process your
claim and send you the refund -- so there's no excuse for not
getting your VAT refund!
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SOURCE FROM THE WORLD'S LARGEST MANUFACTURING CENTRE!
http://sourcing.tdctrade.com
Buyers seeking to
source the world's most extensive selection of high-quality, competitively-priced
goods and production partners need look no further.
Ideally situated adjacent
to the “world's factory” in southern China, Hong Kong is home to
many of the companies that manufacture a seemingly exhaustive range of popular
products on the Chinese mainland.
Find precisely the
product, supplier or manufacturer you are looking for on the Hong Kong Trade
Development Council's http://sourcing.tdctrade.com
website, which provides direct access to some 100,000 Hong Kong, Chinese mainland
and Taiwan-based companies.
You can:
- search for products, suppliers
or manufacturers by keyword, product category or region from the comfort of
your own office
- review product descriptions, photos
and video clips, background information on the company and contact details
- subscribe to email alerts on new
products
If you have special
sourcing requests, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council will even help identify
the right suppliers and email supplier information once you specify your needs
and contact details.
So log on to http://sourcing.tdctrade.com
today! |
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MOST COMPETITIVE CITIES
Where in the world are the lowest business costs? That's a
question many international businesspeople would like answered,
and you can find a detailed report on it at
CompetitiveAlternatives.com (
http://www.competitivealternatives.com ). This site features a
study of international business costs done by the accounting firm
KPMG. The study covers 27 cost components, tracking them in 128
cities in nine industrialized countries. The basis for comparison
is the after-tax cost of startup and operation for business
operations in 12 industries. You can look at the data in a
variety of ways, by simply clicking on "Highlights",
"Industries", City Profiles", or "Detailed Results" at the top of
the page. These reports have scads of good information, and
they're free.
ARTHUR FROMMER'S BUDGET TRAVEL MAGAZINE
More years ago than I care to remember, my wife and I traveled
around Europe with a trusty Arthur Frommer travel guide in our
backpack. Arthur Frommer is still at it, all these years later,
and his Budget Travel Magazine (
http://www.budgettravelonline.com ) is a great resource for
travelers, even if you're not a student on a limited budget. At
this site you'll find lots of tips and resources to help you. You
can book air and ground travel, lodging, cruises, etc.;
peruse city guides packed with information about what to do on
your trip; read true stories about trips gone wrong (and right);
search for travel deals; and much more.
FITA CAREER HEADQUARTERS - FEATURED JOB - EXPORT CONTROL MANAGER
In the new FITA Career Headquarters job seekers can now apply for jobs online
and post their resume--free of charge--in an exclusive database that will be searched
by hundreds of industry employers seeking employees with international degrees
and/or related work experience. Featured job this week is for an Export Control Manager
EaglePicher Technologies (EPT), LLC organization located in Joplin, Missouri. Click
here to browse more than 700 other positions! Employers - Click
here to advertise your job openings on FITA's Career HQ.
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If you'd like to see all back issues of Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals, the full list is at http://www.fita.org/useful/archives. |
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