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Many or all of the companies featured here provide compensation to us. This is how we maintain our free service for consumers. Advertiser Disclosure

Many or all of the companies featured here provide compensation to us. This is how we maintain our free service for consumers. Compensation, along with hours of in-depth editorial research, determines where & how companies appear below. Advertiser Disclosure

Many or all of the companies featured here provide compensation to us. This is how we maintain our free service for consumers. Advertiser Disclosure

There are only two sure things in life: death and taxes. But paying taxes is important for a few reasons. Among the many, publicly funded services funded by taxes in the United States are the military, public education, infrastructure such as roads and parks, police and fire departments, as well as retirement and health services such as Social Security and Medicare. Taxes are what a country needs to survive.

Below is a ranking of the highest taxed countries by income taxes, corporate taxes, and sales taxes.

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Tax Systems Are Unique To Each Country

Sales taxes, income taxes, property taxes, inheritance taxes, excise taxes, etc. Also, tax rates and regulations vary a lot from country to country, and even within the same country. U.S. states charge some form of income tax, but the rate can vary from 1% to 13.3% depending on the state. There are also seven states (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming) that don’t collect any state income tax, and two more (New Hampshire and Tennessee) that tax interest and dividends, but not wages and salaries.

U.S. states have a state sales tax too, but some don’t. Those states that don’t have a sales tax or an income tax can raise other taxes to make up for the deficit, like raising property taxes. Lastly, most governments that levy taxes charge different rates depending on the amount of income or what kind of goods they tax. If you make $40k a year, you’ll probably pay 12% in income taxes, but if you make $200k, you’ll probably pay 25% or more. Taxes on basic needs like groceries are typically lower than taxes on luxury items such as tobacco products or new cars. This article compares three main types of taxes: personal income tax, corporate tax, and sales tax.

Countries With The Highest Personal Income Taxes

Highest Taxed Countries
  1. Ivory Coast – 60%
  2. Finland – 56.95%
  3. Japan – 55.97%
  4. Denmark – 55.90%
  5. Austria – 55.00%
  6. Sweden – 52.90%
  7. Aruba – 52.00%
  8. Belgium – 50.00% (tie)
  9. Israel – 50.00% (tie)
  10. Slovenia – 50.00% (tie)

Countries With The Highest Corporate Tax Rates

corporate
  1. Puerto Rico – 37.5%
  2. Suriname – 36.0%
  3. Chad – 35.0% (tie)
  4. Equatorial Guinea – 35.0% (tie)
  5. Guinea – 35.0% (tie)
  6. Iraq – 35.0% (tie)
  7. Malta – 35.0% (tie)
  8. Sudan – 35.0% (tie)
  9. Zambia – 35.0% (tie)
  10. Brazil – 34.0% (tie)
  11. Venezuela – 34.0% (tie)

Some countries, like Barbados (5.5%), Uzbekistan (7.5%), Hungary (9.0%), and Montenegro (9.0%) have very low corporate taxes – but others, like Vanuatu, Bermuda, and Bahrain, don’t have any at all.

Countries With The Highest Sales Taxes

sales
  1. Bhutan – 50%
  2. Hungary – 27%
  3. Croatia – 25% (tie)
  4. Denmark – 25% (tie)
  5. Norway – 25% (tie)
  6. Sweden – 25% (tie)
  7. Finland – 24% (tie)
  8. Greece – 24% (tie)
  9. Iceland – 23% (tie)
  10. Poland – 23% (tie)
  11. Portugal – 23% (tie)

Finally, the highest sales tax rates are found in Bhutan, with rates up to 50%. Next is Hungary, which has a standard rate of 27%, followed by Croatia, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, all with standard rates of 25%.

What Are Tax Havens?

Tax havens are countries that offer very low tax rates for foreign investors. By attracting a large amount of capital inflow and imposing fees, charges, and low tax rates, tax havens generate government revenue. Luxembourg, Cayman Islands, Isle of Man, Jersey, Ireland, Mauritius, Bermuda, Monaco, Switzerland, and the Bahamas rank among the top ten tax havens in the world.

Full List Of Countries Ranked By Tax Rates

CountryIncome TaxSales TaxCorporate Tax
Ivory Coast60%18%25%
Finland56%24%20%
Japan55%10%30%
Austria55%20%25%
Denmark55%25%22%
Sweden52%25%20%
Aruba52%3%25%
Belgium50%21%25%
Israel50%17%23%
Slovenia50%22%19%
Netherlands49%21%25%
Portugal48%23%21%
Ireland48%23%12%
Spain47%21%25%
Iceland46%24%20%
China45%13%25%
Germany45%19%30%
United Kingdom45%20%19%
France45%20%26%
South Africa45%15%28%
South Korea45%10%25%
Australia45%10%30%
Luxembourg45%17%24%
Greece44%24%24%
Italy43%22%24%
India42%18%25%
Papua New Guinea42%10%30%
Turkey40%18%25%
Uganda40%18%30%
Taiwan40%5%20%
Chile40%19%27%
Senegal40%18%30%
Zimbabwe40%14%24%
Guinea40%14%35%
Switzerland40%7%14%
Republic Of The Congo40%18%28%
Mauritania40%16%25%
Colombia39%19%31%
New Zealand39%15%28%
Morocco38%20%31%
Norway38%25%22%
Suriname38%10%36%
United States37%0%21%
Zambia37%16%35%
Namibia37%15%32%
Uruguay36%22%25%
Pakistan35%17%29%
Mexico35%16%30%
Ethiopia35%15%30%
Philippines35%12%30%
Vietnam35%10%20%
Thailand35%7%20%
Argentina35%21%25%
Algeria35%19%26%
Cameroon35%19%33%
Ecuador35%12%25%
Tunisia35%19%15%
Gabon35%18%30%
Equatorial Guinea35%15%35%
Cyprus35%19%12%
Malta35%18%35%
Venezuela34%16%34%
Canada33%5%26%
Puerto Rico33%0%37%
Poland32%23%19%
Mozambique32%17%32%
Latvia31%21%20%
Indonesia30%10%22%
Tanzania30%18%30%
Kenya30%16%30%
Peru30%18%29%
Malaysia30%10%24%
Ghana30%13%25%
Malawi30%16%30%
Chad30%18%35%
Rwanda30%18%30%
Jordan30%16%20%
Nicaragua30%15%30%
El Salvador30%13%30%
Croatia30%25%18%
Jamaica30%15%25%
Gambia30%15%27%
Lesotho30%15%25%
Barbados28%17%5%
Brazil27%17%34%
Samoa27%15%27%
Bangladesh25%15%32%
Egypt25%14%22%
Myanmar25%5%25%
Angola25%14%25%
Dominican Republic25%18%28%
Honduras25%15%25%
Azerbaijan25%18%20%
Laos25%10%20%
Slovakia25%20%21%
Lebanon25%11%17%
Costa Rica25%9%30%
Panama25%7%25%
Botswana25%12%22%
Trinidad And Tobago25%12%30%
Nigeria24%7%30%
Sri Lanka24%8%24%
Czech Republic23%21%19%
Albania23%20%15%
Syria22%0%28%
Singapore22%7%17%
Armenia22%20%18%
Liechtenstein22%7%12%
Afghanistan20%10%20%
Madagascar20%20%20%
Cambodia20%10%20%
Georgia20%18%15%
Lithuania20%21%15%
Estonia20%20%20%
Fiji20%9%20%
Isle Of Man20%20%0%
Ukraine18%20%18%
Sudan15%17%35%
Iraq15%0%35%
Yemen15%5%20%
Hungary15%27%9%
Sierra Leone15%15%30%
Hong Kong15%0%16%
Mauritius15%15%15%
Seychelles15%15%33%
Russia13%20%20%
Bolivia13%13%25%
Tajikistan13%18%0%
Belarus13%20%18%
Uzbekistan12%15%7%
Moldova12%20%12%
Macau12%0%12%
Romania10%19%16%
Kazakhstan10%12%20%
Serbia10%20%15%
Libya10%0%20%
Bulgaria10%20%10%
Mongolia10%10%25%
Bosnia And Herzegovina10%17%10%
Montenegro9%21%9%
Guatemala7%12%25%
Saudi Arabia0%15%20%
United Arab Emirates0%5%0%
Oman0%5%15%
Kuwait0%0%15%
Qatar0%0%10%
Bahrain0%5%0%
Brunei0%0%18%
Bahamas0%12%0%
Cayman Islands0%0%0%
Bermuda0%0%0%
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Oscar Smith is a finance and tax journalist with over 10 years of experience covering personal finance, taxes, and investing. He has contributed to a variety of publications over the years. With a passion for demystifying complex financial concepts, Oscar's goal is to help readers make informed decisions about their money.

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  1. To the cuintegrator.org webmaster, You always provide great examples and real-world applications, thank you for your valuable contributions.

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