A German SaaS founder cut his effective tax rate from 42% to 14.5% — without leaving the EU.

The challenge

Operating as a single-shareholder GmbH in Bavaria, he was paying roughly 30% corporate tax plus trade tax (Gewerbesteuer) and a steep 26.4% capital gains tax on every dividend. With €280k in revenue, less than half was making it to the founder. He needed an EU-credible base for stripe, EU VAT-MOSS, and enterprise customers — not an offshore shell.

What we did

• Registered a single-shareholder EOOD in Varna using a notarised Power of Attorney (no travel required)
• Opened a corporate account with UniCredit Bulbank plus Wise Business for EU/USD pay-ins
• Registered for Bulgarian VAT and VIES on day 4 for B2B sales across the EU
• Set up a fixed €1,000/month founder salary to satisfy substance and personal-residency planning
• Coordinated with his German tax advisor on the soft-exit / wegzugsbesteuerung implications

The outcome

• Effective combined tax (corporate + dividend) dropped to 14.5%
• Roughly €77,000 of additional annual after-tax income retained inside the company
• Same EU VAT-MOSS coverage — no friction for existing customers
• Monthly accounting cost dropped from €620 (DE) to €180 (BG)