January 2017 | Business View Caribbean

90 91 Key sectors are flourishing: aerospace, bio-pharma, live sciences, technology, tourism, agriculture, research, finances, insurance, and film, among others. Investors and companies of grand international stature have taken advan- tage of a four percent corporate tax rate. We have designed a highly competitive set of laws that have resulted in alluring foreign capital to stimulate the local economy. By virtue of our unique commonwealth relationship with the United States, Puerto Rico enjoys fiscal autono- my, which means that it can offer very attractive tax incentives not available elsewhere in the U.S. Yet, all federal laws apply to Puerto Rico and companies can enjoy the benefits and pro- tection of operating within a U.S. jurisdiction, with the benefit of doing so under a foreign tax structure. But that is not all. The bilingual and bicultural nature of its people, have placed Puerto Rico as one of the most competitive business destinations in the world. We have the necessary transportation infra- structure: a port that ranks at #10 in container movement in the United States; an interna- tional airport that handles thousands of direct flights to all major cities; and a communication infrastructure to host any type of globalized business venture. We offer legal and financial safeguards to support the most complex op- erations and we have a highly specialized and PUERTO RICO highly experienced workforce capable of handling the most elaborate projects. Puerto Rico offers the lowest operational costs of any jurisdic- tion in North America, making it the perfect bridge to access a potential market of 500 mil- lion people. We are the ideal venue for holding commercial and cultural exchanges between the U.S. and Spanish-speaking countries. There is no doubt that Puerto Rico and its neighboring countries have the capability to create transformative changes at