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Opening a business in Brazil
在巴西做生意
Why make it simple?
何等簡單
Setting up shop has just got easier. But not much
開店變得簡單。卻沒有很多
BRAZIL is not an easy place to start a business.
巴西并不是開店的好地方。
The World Bank ranks it 120th out of 183 countries—worse than Burkina Faso or Nigeria.
世界銀行將其在183個國家中列為第120位—比布基納法索及尼日利亞還糟糕。
Take one small example.
試舉一例，
Until recently, you needed at least two partners to form a limited-liability company.
至今，仍需三人才能成立一家有限責任公司。
Sole traders had to find a 1% sócio—an employee, friend or family member willing to lend his name to the articles of association, or a shell company set up solely to hold a tiny share.
一人投資者必須尋求一名1% 合作伙伴—雇員、朋友或家庭成員同意將他們的姓名列入公司章程或令其占有極少股份而成立的空殼公司中。
Things may have just got a little easier.
要求可能放寬了些。
A new law, which supposedly came into effect on January 9th, allows a lone business-owner to set up an Empresa Individual de Responsabilidade Limitada:
據說一部新法將于1月生效，
a single-holder limited-liability firm.
其中允許一人設立有限責任公司。
The main requirement is capital of 62,200 reais.
主要的規定是資產額為62,200雷亞爾。
This is a big deal. Alas, it may not happen as planned.
此舉意義重大，唉，或許會事與愿違。
In December the federal body that oversees state business registries told them to turn away firms trying to register Eirelis, as well as foreigners without permanent right of residence.
12月監管公司注冊的聯邦機構回避關于試圖注冊一人有限責任公司，以及不具有永久居留身份的外國人所提出的申請。
No reason was given.
對此并未公布相關的理由。
Later, lawyers were briefed that the law's aim was to let Brazilian sole traders protect their personal goods against lawsuits or bankruptcy—not to make life easier for big business or foreigners.
隨后，律師被簡要告知律師事務所意在保護巴西個體經營者免受訴訟或破產之災—并不是保障大公司或外國投資者。
Since the restrictions have no basis in the law, challenges are inevitable. Husam Abboud of Establish Brazil, a company-formation specialist, is thinking of Brazilian-style direct action: simply trying to register an Eireli for a firm or a foreigner, and seeing what happens.
由于這些限制在法律上沒有淵源，因此不可避免地存在質疑。來自Establish Brazil的Husam Abboud ，是一位公司設立的專家，其指出巴西風格的直接效果：只是試圖為公司或外國人注冊一人有限公司，之后坐觀成敗。
We won't be trying just once, but many times, he says cheerfully.
我們并非僅嘗試一次，而是多次, 他語帶興奮地稱。
In Brazil, it always depends who's on the desk on the day.
在巴西，總是彼時處在臺上的人左右決定。
A few speedy locals have already set up Eirelis.
一些敏銳的本國人已開始設立Eirelis。
It was quick and easy, because I didn't have to hunt for a partner, says Taise Litholdo, an architect.
這樣簡單快捷，而無需尋找合伙人，建筑師 Taise Litholdo說道。
Sebastiao Lino da Silva, an accountant in Sao Paulo, is helping a medical-research firm, which recently lost a partner, to convert into an Eireli.
圣保羅的會計師Sebastiao Lino da Silva正協助一家失去合伙人的醫藥研發公司轉為一人有限公司。
The remaining owner would otherwise have to find a new partner or close.
該公司目前的所有人希望尋找新的合伙人或以類似的模式延續公司。
Joao Marcelo Pacheco of Pinheiro Neto Advogados, one of Brazil's largest law firms, says that some wealthy clients will use Eirelis to make their lives simpler.
來自巴西最大律所之一Joao Marcelo Pacheco的Pinheiro Neto Advogados稱，某些重要客戶打算運用Eirelis以令生意更順遂。
All this amounts to a tweak, not a revolution.
所有這些構成扭轉，而非改革。
By January 18th only 14 Eirelis had been registered with Sao Paulo's board of trade, Brazil's biggest.
直至1月18日僅有14家Eirelis成功在巴西最大的圣保羅商業局得以注冊。
The truth is Eirelis are not really suitable for most small businesses, says Mr Abboud. Few hot-dog vendors and hairdressers have enough spare cash to satisfy the capital requirement, he points out.
他稱事實上Eirelis并非適用所有小型企業，并指出一些賣熱狗的商人和美發師手頭上就有滿足資本限額的閑錢。
That is an argument for scrapping the capital requirement.
放棄資本限額引起一番爭論。
The Socialist People's Party, an opposition group, has asked the Supreme Court to rule it unconstitutional for discriminating against micro-traders.
反對黨—巴西社會人民黨已請求最高法院規范歧視微型貿易者的違憲行為。
Even if foreigners are allowed to set up Eirelis, breaking into Brazil will remain tough.
即使外國投資者被允許設立Eirelis，他們融入巴西仍成問題。
The biggest hurdle—finding a permanent resident willing to hold power of attorney for foreign owners—will remain.
最大的阻礙—尋找一位永久居留者愿意作為外國所有人的代理人—始終存在。
Establish Brazil and its rivals will do this for foreign clients,
及其對手將以同樣方式對待其外國客戶，
but only until a local manager has been appointed, or an expatriate has arrived on a permanent business visa.
但僅需指定一位本地管理人或一位取得永久居留的移民。
The snag is that acting for a foreign firm leaves agents vulnerable to Brazil's capricious tax authorities and labour courts, which tend to ignore limited liability and pursue individual owners.
代理外國公司的中介因容易被巴西反復無常的稅收機構及勞動法庭追查而受到牽絆，他們更傾向個人所有者而非有限責任。
They want to be able to freeze someone's bank account if problems arise, explains Stephen O'Sullivan of Mattos Filho Advogados, another big Sao Paulo law firm.
發生問題時他們希望凍結某人的銀行賬戶，另一家律所Mattos Filho Advogados的Stephen O'Sullivan稱。
And if they're the only people in the country, they'll go after the local managers, or even the lawyers.
若這個國家僅剩下他們，則他們將追尋本地管理人，甚至本地律師。
Unsurprisingly, Mattos Filho is willing to fulfil this role only for old and valued clients.
不出意外，Mattos Filho 期待在服務已有的尊貴客戶的同時能夠為更多的公司扮演同樣的角色。
Eirelis may eventually make it easier to set up shop in Brazil.
在巴西做生意可能因Eirelis 而變得簡單。
But only a little.
但僅僅是一點點。
