S.A. (corporation) in the context of "Tax evasion"

A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (listed company), which facilitates the trade of shares, or not (unlisted public company). In some jurisdictions, public companies over a certain size must be listed on an exchange. In most cases, public companies are private enterprises in the private sector, and "public" emphasizes their reporting and trading on the public markets.

Public companies are formed within the legal systems of particular states and so have associations and formal designations, which are distinct and separate in the polity in which they reside. In the United States, for example, a public company is usually a type of corporation, though a corporation need not be a public company. In the United Kingdom, it is usually a public limited company (PLC). In France, it is a société anonyme (SA). In Germany, it is an Aktiengesellschaft (AG). While the general idea of a public company may be similar, the differences between types are meaningful and are at the core of international law disputes with regard to industry and trade.
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In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by shares, the liability of members is limited to the unpaid value of shares. In a company limited by guarantee, the liability of owners is limited to such amount as the owners may undertake to contribute to the assets of the company, in the event of being wound up. The former may be further divided in public companies (public limited companies) and private companies (private limited companies). Who may become a member of a private limited company is restricted by law and by the company's rules. In contrast, anyone may buy shares in a public limited company.

Limited companies can be found in most countries, although the detailed rules governing them vary widely. It is also common for a distinction to be made between the publicly tradable companies of the plc type (for example, the German Aktiengesellschaft (AG), Dutch and Belgian nv, British PLC, Czech a.s., Italian S.p.A., Hungarian nyrt. and the Spanish, French, Polish, Greek and Romanian S.A.), and the "private" types of companies (such as the German GmbH, Dutch and Belgian bv, Portuguese Lda., British Ltd, Japanese G.K., Polish sp. z o.o., Russian ООО, Ukrainian ТОВ (TOV), the Czech s.r.o., the French s.à r.l., the Italian s.r.l., Romanian s.r.l., Hungarian kft., Bulgarian ДОО (DOO), Slovenian d.o.o., and Slovak s.r.o., in India Pvt Ltd for private company and Ltd for public company, in Singapore Pte Ltd for private company).

Aktiengesellschaft (German pronunciation: [ˈaktsi̯ənɡəˌzɛlʃaft] ; abbreviated AG [aːˈgeː] ) is a German word for a corporation limited by share ownership (i.e., one which is owned by its shareholders) whose shares may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland (where it is equivalent to a société anonyme or a società per azioni) and South Tyrol for companies incorporated there. In the United Kingdom, the equivalent term is public limited company, and in the United States, while the terms "incorporated" or "corporation" are typically used, technically the more precise equivalent term is "joint-stock company".

Naamloze vennootschap (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈnaːmloːzə ˈvɛnoːtsxɑp]; abbreviated as N.V. or NV [ɛnˈveː] or Société anonyme (SA) in the French Community of Belgium) is a type of public company defined by business law in the Netherlands, Belgium, Indonesia (where it is known as perseroan terbatas, abbreviated PT and allows for private companies), and Suriname. The company is owned by shareholders, and the company's shares are not registered to certain owners, so that they may be traded on the public stock market.

The phrase literally means "nameless partnership" or "anonymous venture" and comes from the fact that the partners (the shareholders) are not directly known. This is in contrast to the term for a private limited company, which is called besloten vennootschap (an "exclusive" or "closed partnership", one in which stock is not for sale on open markets).

Società per azioni (Italian: [sotʃeˈta pper atˈtsjoːni]; abbr. S.p.A. or spa [ˌɛssepiˈa]) is a form of corporation in Italy and San Marino, meaning 'company with shares' (although often translated as 'joint-stock company', which may or may not be a limited liability entity). It is more or less equivalent to S.A. or public limited company (PLC) in other countries.

The other common form of corporation in Italy is società a responsabilità limitata (S.r.l.) ('limited liability company'). S.p.A. issued shares (Italian: azioni), while in S.r.l. the unit was quote/stock of share capital. Moreover, the articles of association of S.r.l. allowed different allocation of profit and assets, which was more comparable to a limited partnership.