The following are some of the reasons to invest in Colombia:
- Better Business Environment: In the course of the last five years, the Colombian economy has seen growth rates of over 4% a year and in 2009, its GDP increased by 0.4%, a positive increase during the world recession.
- Human Resources: According to IMD 2011, it is the country with the second largest available pool of skilled workers in Latin America, the fewest impediments to compliance with labor regulations and the highest job flexibility index in the region.
- Ideal Platform for Exports: You can enjoy the advantages of agreements signed, which provide preferential access to an expanded market of over 1.5 billion consumers, a added situation to this country’s geo-strategic position.
- Incentives for Investors: According to Doing Business 2011, this country has the third best business environment in Latin America, as well as being the one which best protects investors in the region, holding fifth position worldwide. Among the facilities for doing business are the following:
- Free zones: The most competitive in Latin America, these provide a 50% income tax deduction, permitting sales on the local market and allowing establishment in any other part of the country.
- Legally stable contracts.
- Exemption from income tax for tourism projects and late yield crops.
- 125% Income Tax deduction for investments in Scientific and Technological Development.
- 200% Income Tax deduction on labor-related payments to disabled workers.
- 100% deduction of industry, trade, signs and boards and property taxes, providing they were paid in the respective fiscal year and have a causal relationship with the taxpayer’s economic activity.
- 25% tax deduction for financial movements, regardless of their relationship with the taxpayer’s economic activity.
- Quality of Life: In Colombia there are three universities in the top 30 in Latin America, 26 schools registered with the SAT Reasoning Test, 19 to the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) and more than 45 eighteen-hole golf courses.
For more information, please visit the National Government’s official portal.
