An agency company is an entity that has entered into an agreement with an offshore company (the principal) to act as an agent. The agency company itself does not conduct business activity in Austria, but receives income from the agency commission.
At all stages, the agency company conducts business on behalf of the customer, who may be a company located in a tax haven, under the terms of the agency agreement. Business transactions are conducted through the Austrian company (which may trade, with VAT, with EU and non-EU companies) and the revenue is received into its bank account. After deducting a commission, the capital amount is transferred to the account of the real seller (e.g. the EU company). The agency commission can be set at 2%, 5% or even higher, and is usually paid annually. The Austrian company will declare the commission received as taxable income in Austria.