Monaco and Andorra - Europe’s top two tax havens - are seeing an influx of funds to their banks, despite governments worldwide actively trying to stop their citizens using tax havens to bank their money.

The financial industry in Monaco is attracting money from wealthy individuals seeking a degree of privacy, and keeping their assets away from the clutches of their governments at record levels with most of the money coming from the Middle East and Europe.

While the banks will not disclose the volume of money they have attracted recently, some industry analysts estimate it could be as much as 20 billion Euros over the last eighteen months, with 70 billion in total managed assets overall.

Over the last year and a half some of the big names in the banking and finance industries have set up offices in Monaco, including Goldman Sachs. And Monaco does not seem perturbed by outside influence unduly as the principality hopes to double the amount in her banks in the coming years.

And it’s not just Monaco attracting funds - Europe’s other tax haven Andorra has also seen an increase in interest, with new accounts in being established at the Andorra banks at a good pace. With tax havens attracting high volumes of funds it makes them less likely to co-operate with the OECD, who ultimately try to reign in and police money worldwide.

One company who specialise in European tax havens thinks that the OECD are wrong to assume that the money being deposited in Andorra and Monaco banks is by people simply wanting to keep their money offshore - it’s also due to high net worth individuals taking Monaco and Andorra residency.

‘The number of people who have moved themselves as well as their money offshore has been rising over the last ten years, and in particular the number of UK ctizens moving to Andorra and Monaco has been high in the last two to three years, and their combined assets are significant. Taxes in the UK for example have been increasing, and it’s no coincidence that while this has been happening so have the number of Britons moving out of the country. Rather than trying to dissuade people from doing so by painting tax havens as the villains they would get better results if they reduced direct and indirect taxes at home, negating the need to consider a tax haven in the first place.’

Evidence of the rising number of arrivals in Monaco for her tax haven status is the local property market, which is on a par with London as the most expensive property in Europe. And recent economic activity in Monaco includes the sale of one of the well known Monaco hotels - the Fairmont - showing that Monaco is able to attract investment not just from the financial services industry.

Particularly notable among the new arrivals in Monaco in recent years has been the British, with some Monaco real estate agents suggesting that around forty per cent of their enquiries now come from the UK.

The top rate of tax in the UK has been 40 per cent for some years now, but an increase in the number of indirect taxes - or stealth taxes as they are popularly known - often means a tax take of over 50 per cent for high earners.

Apart from the rise in the number of people moving to tax havens recently, the company also points to infrastructure improvements in both Andorra and Monaco as evidence that governments who levy taxes shouldn’t assume that tax havens are ghost towns for much of the year with tax exiles only making fleeting visits for events like the Monaco F1 run each May in Monaco.

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Low lying European ski countries last year who saw a decline in ski holiday visitors, including Andorra, have been investing in her facilities to try and tempt the skiiers she lost back for the 2008 season.

In the past Andorra has grown in stature from a destination offering cheap ski holidays to one that can compete with the best that Europe has to offer, with a growing number of ski holidays being taken in the country over the last decade to the point where it was attracting some ten million tourists a year.

But unexpectedly the rise in visitors to Andorra came to a screeching halt for the 2006/7 ski season, and the ski slopes closed two weeks earlier than anticipated due to a lack of snow that saw many other resorts in Europe, especially in countries with low lying slopes like Austria, badly affected by the lack of natural snow.

The Andorra economy is unusually reliant on the ski holidays industry, the other main activity being the financial and banking industry due to her tax haven status, and the Andorra weather refused to play her part last year. Some estimates suggest takings for supermarkets, petrol stations, department stores and supermarkets were down some 40 per cent compared to 2006 in the main ski holiday areas.

The good news for the Andorra ski holiday industry as it hopes for an improved 2008 holidays season is that the snow - notably absent last year - started to fall in November, and long range weather forecasts suggest that January through to April could see enough snow to give Andorra skiiers good snow depth, and little if any need for snow cannons to make up any shortfall.

But the tourist authorities are determined not to be caught out again, and continue with the progress made in the last twenty years that has seen Andorra rise impressively from a cheap ski holiday destination to one that caters for the middle and upmarket price range with UK ski holiday specialist companies like Crystal Ski offering a full range of holidays in Andorra.

Private money as well as finance from the banks in Andorra have helped to upgrade Soldeu, a main Andorra ski holiday resort, to a high class status with new hotels and upgrades for existing ones.

New Investment
In total it is estimated that nearly 200 million Euros has been invested in Andorra’s on-mountain ski facilities, and the figure rises significantly when off-mountain spending is taken into account, such as the new hotels in Andorra, notably in the top ski areas of Soldeu and Arinsal.

The ski areas of Andorra have been praised by many in the industry for having the capability of producing enough man made snow to cover over 40 per cent of the ski domain, but investment has continued to further this already high amount by having for the 2008 ski holiday season over a thousand snow cannons in place - although it is hoped they don’t have to be used much.

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If you’re looking for a property that you can rent for short term or long term, you probably want to make sure that you’re getting the most of out your money. Planning a week long or two month long vacation to Dubai is easy with Dubaiapartments.biz.

The website has dozens of property listings from estate managers and owners all over the city. Choose from luxurious Dubai Villas, Dubai Hotels and other first rate accommodations at an affordable price. Experiencing an extravagant lifestyle need not be that expensive, that’s why more and more people are opting to stay at any Dubai hotel apartments.

A self catering apartment in Dubai is very spacious and can accommodate 2 to 4 people at the most. Larger apartments are available, but these are usually rented out for long term. Just like any other home, these places come fully furnished. The small kitchen is lined with modern appliances, while the living room and dining area have lush furniture. The whole place is air conditioned considering the climate of Dubai.

There are some properties available in the middle of business districts on top of the more popular beach front properties. Roughly priced the same, plenty of tourists opt for the quiet ambiance rather than the ease of having places just a stone’s throw away. You need not worry of course, about transportation, as most of these properties have 24/7 public transportation available.

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Don’t let your old boats rot in your backyard, give them to charity so that you can help those in need in your own little way. Boatangel.com accepts boat donations so that they can continue to fund their outreach projects across the world.

The company has set up various preschools in poor countries and have given away thousands of free DVDs to aid children in their education. They’ve also set up some livelihood projects for adults as well as helped thousands of women go back to school or get jobs. They need Charity Boat Donations so that they continue their wonderful work.

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Me and my wife just got from the Mall shopping for Christmas gifts for our loved ones. Although Christmas is just less than 24 hours away, I still see a lot of people shopping for gifts and foods to prepare for this holiday. Most of us are always trying to look for ways to save money especially this holiday season, maybe even get things for free. It’s not about being cheap, it’s just that people are starting to be practical. Especially for dollar earners like me, the dollar is continually loosing its value. The amount we pay for shopping takes on a huge chunk of our monthly income, and we have to look for ways to minimize the money spent.

Let me tell you about this money saving site I found, one of the best sites for free samples and grocery coupons, Mysavings.com. The site offers a lot of free samples you can try out for people living within Canada, US, Ireland, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Next time you go to the grocery, try searching through the printable coupons available at the website. Cut down on at least 10% of your monthly food budget by saving these grocery coupons. For those who love shopping online, coupons codes are also available in the site. By providing some personal information, you’re on your way to lots of savings and great deals too.

A lot of people don’t know that they have other options to correct their vision problems, besides wearing contact lenses and eyeglasses. Many patients don’t have the opportunity to try it out because it is somewhat expensive compared to just buying frames and lenses. The surgery I’m talking about is Lasik Surgery. It works by reshaping your cornea to correct refractive errors. Although there are a lot of clinics and doctors that offer this procedure, you can never be too sure about the outcome.

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Mumbai, India is a bustling city with more than a million tourists frequenting the region. Don’t ruin your vacation by going there unarmed with pertinent information about the city. Start your research even before you reserve your airline tickets.

In a nutshell, Travelguidemumbai.com is one of the best online sources for travel and leisure within Mumbai, India. Their articles can help you prepare yourself and your family for the most unforgettable vacation you’ll ever have. From choosing your accommodations, to planning your daily activities gallivanting about the city, this website has all the information you’ll ever need. Visit Travelguidemumbai.com to find out what exciting adventures await you.

Marketing your new company is an overwhelming task, especially if you don’t have help. The costs of advertising are also fearfully expensive and would take a huge chunk of the company’s capital. Adcentiveswest.com has an idea for you!

Their promotional advertising products will help launch your company and make it get noticed. During trade shows or company parties, there merchandise can be used as giveaways and gifts to your loyal employees and clients. Not only are these promotional products useful at home, it will also help make your company’s name and logo be remembered. For more affordable advertising ideas, contact AdcentivesWest through their website.

Nowadays, you can never getting anything for free; especially if its money making tips from experts. Usually you need to pay a membership fee or sign up fee to get access to proven ways to make money online. However, Successwithauctions.com has changed the way people think about online business advice. There are still free things in this world.

Starting an online career or business is by no means easy, even if the articles you’ll read at Successwithauctions.com make it appear that way. But with the website’s guides, tutorials and tips about how to make money online, you are well on your way to becoming an internet millionaire.

It doesn’t look much really. But when I started browsing through the rest of the website, I found some valuable information I couldn’t find anywhere else. Loansubmit.co.uk was like an old treasure chest waiting to be opened.

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