Panama vs Barbados
Tax Rate Comparison
Enter your income below for a personal tax estimate, then scroll down for full rate breakdowns.
💰 Personal Income Tax Calculator
Enter your income to see your estimated annual tax liability in each country — side by side.
Individual Income Tax (Top Marginal Rate)
VAT / GST / Sales Tax
Corporate Tax Rate
Capital Gains Tax
Social Security & Payroll
🇵🇦 Panama — Municipal & Corregimiento Taxes
Panama's 10 provinces and 81 districts have municipalities that levy commercial licence fees (Tasa Unica), property tax (impuesto de inmuebles at 0%–2.1%), and service fees. Panama City has the highest commercial licence fees. Panama uses a territorial tax system — income earned outside Panama is not taxed. This has made Panama a significant financial and trading hub. The Colón Free Zone is the world's second largest free trade zone. Panama is working to exit FATF grey lists and improve tax transparency.
🇧🇧 Barbados — Parish Councils & Land Tax
Barbados's 11 parishes have parish councils that levy land tax at 0.1%–0.7% of site value. Barbados has long been a significant international business and financial centre, particularly for Canadian companies. Major tax reform in 2019 aligned Barbados with OECD BEPS standards. A tiered corporate tax rate structure was introduced. Barbados was removed from the EU tax haven blacklist following these reforms and maintains competitiveness as an IFC.
Panama vs Barbados: Key Tax Differences (2026)
💰 Income Tax: 🇧🇧 Barbados has a higher top income tax rate (0–25% vs 12.5–28.5%). 🇵🇦 Panama is more favourable for high earners.
🛒 VAT/Sales Tax: Barbados has a higher consumption tax (7% vs 17.5%).
🏢 Corporate Tax: 🇧🇧 Barbados offers a lower corporate rate (9% vs 25%), which can influence business location decisions.
📈 Capital Gains: 🇧🇧 Barbados taxes investment gains at a lower rate (0% vs 10%), benefiting investors.