Offshore accounts and tax havens for the average man?

As part of my uni course, you hear a lot about offshore bank accounts and companies declaring profits in places that are tax havens. From the newspapers you hear of celebrities who even though the earn millions, they have good accountants who can sort them out paying just 10% tax etc. Is this kind of practice open to average guy? Can you just set up a bank account with offshore places instead of your local highstreet? Why don't more people do that then if that's more profitable? Would you need an accountant to do it for you? If so, what can they do, I can't? Do you need to be a millionaire to have such an account? I really wouldn't know where to start looking into this. Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated.

Public Comments

1. Anyonme can set up an offshore account, and all the banks and building societies offer them. They don't save tax unless you fail to declare them, and HMRC have targeted those who have failed by obtaining all their details from the financial institutions concerned.