Start a Business Around the World: UK, Australia, India, UAE & more

The startup map that works almost everywhere

In simple words

Starting a business in any country is like joining a new sports team. You give your name, pick your position, get a jersey number, learn the team rules, and keep score. Only the coach's name changes from country to country.

Key facts

The same seven questions come up in most countries:

Name: do I need to register my business name?
Structure: sole trader (sole proprietor), partnership, or company? Who is liable for debts?
Tax ID: which number does the tax office give my business?
Sales tax: when must I register for VAT, GST or sales tax?
Licences and permits: does my activity (food, building, transport) or my city need one?
Workers: what must I register when I hire?
Records: what must I keep, and for how long?

Sales-tax registration thresholds compared (official sources, checked 2026-11-11; amounts change, always re-check)

Country	Tax	Must register when sales reach (summary)
UK	VAT	Over GBP 90,000 taxable turnover in the last 12 months, or expected within the next 30 days
Australia	GST (10%)	AUD 75,000 GST turnover or more (taxi and ride-sourcing drivers: from the first dollar)
Canada	GST/HST	Over CAD 30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive calendar quarters
India	GST	Turnover over INR 40 lakh for goods suppliers / INR 20 lakh for services in most states (lower in some states)
UAE	VAT (5%)	Taxable supplies and imports over AED 375,000 (voluntary from AED 187,500)
Philippines	VAT	Gross sales over PHP 3,000,000 (adjusted every 3 years under the EOPT Act)
USA	Sales tax	No federal sales tax; each state sets its own rules

In your country

Small supplier threshold: CAD 30,000 of taxable sales over 4 consecutive calendar quarters (or in a single quarter). Above it you must register for GST/HST.
Source: CRA, when to register and charge: www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst

There is no national threshold. Since South Dakota v. Wayfair (2018), states can require out-of-state online sellers to collect tax once they pass a threshold in that state. Thresholds differ by state, so check each state tax agency.
Source: USAGov, State taxes: www.usa.gov/state-taxes
Source: US Supreme Court, South Dakota v. Wayfair (2018), via Cornell LII: www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/17-494

Sellers with gross annual sales and receipts of PHP 3,000,000 or less are not VAT-registered. They pay a 3% percentage tax on gross receipts instead. Above PHP 3,000,000, VAT applies.
Source: BIR Revenue Regulations 13-2018 digest: bir-cdn.bir.gov.ph/local/pdf/Digest%20RR%2013-2018.pdf
Source: BIR RMO 23-2018 digest: bir-cdn.bir.gov.ph/local/pdf/RMO_No.%2023-2018_digest.pdf

A small-scale taxpayer has annual taxable sales of RMB 5 million or less. The simplified rate is 3%, reduced to 1% from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027.
Small-scale taxpayers below RMB 100,000 a month (RMB 300,000 a quarter) pay no VAT for 2026 to 2027.
Source: VAT Law (State Taxation Administration database): fgk.chinatax.gov.cn/zcfgk/c100009/c5237365/content.html
Source: MOF and STA Announcement No. 10 of 2026 (Jiangsu STA site): jiangsu.chinatax.gov.cn/art/2026/1/30/art_23636_12061.html

A business is generally exempt from consumption tax if its taxable sales in the base period (two years back for a sole proprietor) are 10 million yen or less. A business can choose to be taxable.
Source: NTA, Consumption tax basics: www.nta.go.jp/english/taxes/consumption_tax/01.htm

Small sole proprietors may be "simplified taxable persons" if prior-year sales are under a limit set by decree. Check the current limit on Hometax.
Source: Value-Added Tax Act, English text (KLRI): elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_service/lawViewContent.do?hseq=63471
Source: NTS English site: www.nts.go.kr/english/main.do

Step by step

Pick the country where you want to start.
Write the seven questions on a page: name, structure, tax ID, sales tax, licences and permits, workers, records.
Find the country's official business website and answer each question, one at a time.
Write the sales-tax registration threshold for your country from the comparison table and re-check it on the official site.
Write the date next to each answer.
Check: all seven questions have an answer and a date.

LESSON 01The startup map that works almost everywhere

LESSON 01 / ANIMATED LESSON / AI VOICE00:00 / 01:00

Voice

Read the video script

[Host] "Want to start a business in another country? The map is almost always the same."
[Text on screen: Name, Structure, Tax ID, Sales tax, Permits, Workers, Records] "Name. Structure. Tax ID. Sales tax. Permits. Workers. Records."
[Screen: world map with country flags lighting up] "Only the agency names and the numbers change."
[Text on screen: UK 90,000 pounds / Australia 75,000 dollars / UAE 375,000 dirhams] "For example, the VAT or GST line is different in every country."
[Host] "Learn the map once, then fill it in with official facts for your country."

Try it now

Copy the seven questions into a page called "My Startup Map". Leave space next to each one. You will fill it in for your country by the end of the course.

ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude

Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.

For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.

I'm learning "Start a Business Around the World: UK, Australia, India, UAE & more" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "The startup map that works almost everywhere".

What the lesson teaches:
- Country - Tax - Must register when sales reach (summary)
- UK - VAT - Over GBP 90,000 taxable turnover in the last 12 months, or expected within the next 30 days
- Australia - GST (10%) - AUD 75,000 GST turnover or more (taxi and ride-sourcing drivers: from the first dollar)
- Canada - GST/HST - Over CAD 30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive calendar quarters
- India - GST - Turnover over INR 40 lakh for goods suppliers / INR 20 lakh for services in most states (lower in some states)
- UAE - VAT (5%) - Taxable supplies and imports over AED 375,000 (voluntary from AED 187,500)
- Philippines - VAT - Gross sales over PHP 3,000,000 (adjusted every 3 years under the EOPT Act)

The exercise I'm working on:
Copy the seven questions into a page called "My Startup Map". Leave space next to each one. You will fill it in for your country by the end of the course.

I'm stuck. Please:
1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example.
2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step.
3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.

I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "The startup map that works almost everywhere" from the course "Start a Business Around the World: UK, Australia, India, UAE & more".

Here's what the lesson says:
Starting a business in any country is like joining a new sports team. You give your name, pick your position, get a jersey number, learn the team rules, and keep score. Only the coach's name changes from country to country.

The activity:
Copy the seven questions into a page called "My Startup Map". Leave space next to each one. You will fill it in for your country by the end of the course.

Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words.
Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.

Open Claude

Sources

GOV.UK, When to register for VAT: www.gov.uk/vat-registration/when-to-register
business.gov.au, Register for GST: business.gov.au/registrations/register-for-taxes/register-for-goods-an
Canada Revenue Agency, When to register for and start charging GST/HST: www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst
CBIC (India), GST: An Update (June 2019): cbic-gst.gov.in/pdf/01062019-GST-An-Update.pdf
UAE Federal Tax Authority, Registration for VAT: tax.gov.ae/en/taxes/Vat/vat.topics/registration.for.vat.aspx
BIR (Philippines), Salient Features of the EOPT Act: bir-cdn.bir.gov.ph/BIR/pdf/flyer-eopt.pdf
SBA (USA), Pay taxes: www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/pay-taxes

My notes

I learned this