Venezuelans are interested to invest in Colombia

The qualities of Colombia as a destination for investment has not gone unnoticed by the Venezuelans, who are increasingly motivated to expand their business into the neighboring country or even to start from scratch with new projects.
Farmatodo pharmacy chains and Locatel are just two examples visible, and two years ago the law firm based in Bogota, Arciniegas & Villamizar, realized this trend.
That was when the firm decided to merge with Venezuelan attorney Briceño Francisco to found Arciniegas, Briceño and Plana and "offer to companies and investors a comprehensive service of advice, to have the legal tools, financial, managerial, administrative and accounting support to settle in Colombia ", says the lawyer Ismael Enrique Arciniegas.
On Tuesday March 1 will be officially launched Arciniegas, Briceño and Plana in the country, where members of the Colombian-Venezuelan firm expected to show those attending the event, from 8:00 am to 12:00 m, Marriott Hotel Caracas opportunities for Colombia as a destination for investment.
After August 2010 the Presidents Hugo Chavez and Juan Manuel Santos said in Santa Marta their intentions to resume political dialogue and trade, the representative of Arciniegas, Briceño and Plana also expected to Colombian investors can find opportunities in Venezuela.
Facilities Investment
There are 10 types of visas to settle in Colombia, but who are seeking to do business is interested mainly three: the resident investor visa, the business and the partner or owner, advanced Arciniegas.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the neighboring country of proportionality eliminated work rules, which set maximum jobs for foreign staff, and defined different levels of investment for each type of visa.
Resident investor visa requires a contribution of $ 100,000, if invested capital, and $ 200,000 if in a building.
The business requires a minimum investment of $ 25,000, but capital is not required when it comes to companies that choose to send an employee to establish business contacts in the country, study and open markets in Colombia.
"Investing in Colombia is a safe and easy process, because register as an investment trading company takes only seven days," said Arciniegas.
The lawyer also stressed that there are several tax incentives that seek to generate jobs. For example, entrepreneurs under 28 years are exempt the first year of the payment of Income Tax (Income Tax), and will gradually equalizing the overall rate within five years.
Doing buisnesses ranking conducted by the World Bank in its 2011 edition ranked Colombia the number 39 among the most friendly to doing business in Latin America after Mexico (35) and Peru (36).
Hopefully
On April 22 due to tariff preferences Venezuela kept their former partners of the Community of Andean Nations (CAN).
Today the governments of Colombia and Venezuela negotiated the terms of a trade agreement that would govern between them after this date.
Arciniegas now recognized that administrative obstacles remain that hinder trade, but believes that as Cadivi improved payments to Colombian suppliers, will begin to flow delivery of import licenses and permits, once there is a new framework for trade between Colombia and Venezuela .
The lawyer recalled that "Colombia is the natural port of Venezuela, where he also import cheaper than other countries such as Brazil and Argentina, so that you can not finish the exchange."
The effort made by both governments, led by their foreign ministers, to discuss bilateral relations, makes him optimistic about the future of trade, who thinks he can pick up at the end of 2011.