CR · AmericasST · Africa

Costa Rica vs São Tomé and Príncipe: tax rates compared

Costa Rica's income tax rate is identical to São Tomé and Príncipe's — both sit at 25%. The 200-country average is 28%: both sit below it. Costa Rica's figure is dated 2025-01-01 and São Tomé and Príncipe's 2009-10-08, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Verified data covers four of the six tracked tax types for both countries; every rate below is cited to its source and dated.

At a glance

0102030405060Income25%Corporate25%30%VAT13%15%Capital Gains15%
four shared taxes, side by side
Tax CR STDifference
Income Tax25%25%match
Corporate Tax30%25%CR +5 pplargest gap
VAT13%15%ST +2 pp
Capital Gains Tax15%15%match

Income Tax

Income Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Costa Rica25%Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01
São Tomé and Príncipe25%Source: Diário da República (official gazette), São Tomé e Príncipe — Lei n.º 11/2009, Código do Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares (IRS), Art. 66 · as of 2009-10-08
Difference0 ppdisplayed rates match

Corporate Tax

Corporate Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Costa Rica30%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
São Tomé and Príncipe25%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
Difference+5 ppCosta Rica higher

Costa Rica's corporate tax rate is 5pp higher than São Tomé and Príncipe's (30% vs 25%). The 201-country average is 22.6%: both sit above it.

VAT

VAT, side by side
CountryRateSource
Costa Rica13%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Costa Rica (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-06-30
São Tomé and Príncipe15%Source: Ministério do Planeamento, Finanças e Economia Azul (São Tomé e Príncipe) — Manual do IVA 2023 · as of 2023-06-01
Difference−2 ppSão Tomé and Príncipe higher

São Tomé and Príncipe's VAT rate is 2pp higher than Costa Rica's (15% vs 13%). The 181-country average is 15%: Costa Rica sits below it, São Tomé and Príncipe matches the world average. Costa Rica's figure is dated 2026-06-30 and São Tomé and Príncipe's 2023-06-01, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Costa Rica15%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Costa Rica (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-06-30
São Tomé and Príncipe15%Source: Diário da República (official gazette), São Tomé e Príncipe — Lei n.º 11/2009, Código do Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares (IRS), Articles 27, 69 and 70 · as of 2009-10-08
Difference0 ppdisplayed rates match

Costa Rica's capital gains tax rate is identical to São Tomé and Príncipe's — both sit at 15%. The 175-country average is 10.3%: both sit above it. Costa Rica's figure is dated 2026-06-30 and São Tomé and Príncipe's 2009-10-08, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Not covered for both countries yet: Crypto Tax, Wealth Tax.