DE · EuropeGB · Europe

Germany vs United Kingdom: tax rates compared

Between the two, Germany's income tax rate (47.5%) tops United Kingdom's (45%) by 2.5pp. The 200-country average is 28%: both sit above it.

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

At a glance

0102030405060Income45%47.5%Corporate25%30.1%VAT19%20%Capital Gains24%25%Crypto0%24%Wealth Tax0%
six shared taxes, side by side
Tax DE GBDifference
Income Tax47.5%45%DE +2.5 pp
Corporate Tax30.1%25%DE +5.1 pp
VAT19%20%GB +1 pp
Capital Gains Tax25%24%DE +1 pp
Crypto Tax0%24%GB +24 pplargest gap
Wealth Tax0%0%match

Income Tax

Income Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Germany47.5%Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01
United Kingdom45%Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01
Difference+2.5 ppGermany higher

Corporate Tax

Corporate Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Germany30.1%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
United Kingdom25%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
Difference+5.1 ppGermany higher

Between the two, Germany's corporate tax rate (30.1%) tops United Kingdom's (25%) by 5.1pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: both sit above it.

VAT

VAT, side by side
CountryRateSource
Germany19%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Germany (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-06-30
United Kingdom20%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — United Kingdom (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2025-12-24
Difference−1 ppUnited Kingdom higher

Between the two, United Kingdom's VAT rate (20%) tops Germany's (19%) by 1pp. The 181-country average is 15%: both sit above it. Germany's figure is dated 2026-06-30 and United Kingdom's 2025-12-24, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Germany25%Source: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Germany, Individual - Income determination · as of 2026-06-30
United Kingdom24%Source: GOV.UK (HMRC) — Capital Gains Tax: rates · as of 2024-10-30
Difference+1 ppGermany higher

Between the two, Germany's capital gains tax rate (25%) tops United Kingdom's (24%) by 1pp. The 175-country average is 10.3%: both sit above it. Germany's figure is dated 2026-06-30 and United Kingdom's 2024-10-30, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Crypto Tax

Crypto Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Germany0%Source: Bundesministerium der Finanzen — Einzelfragen zur ertragsteuerrechtlichen Behandlung von Kryptowerten (BMF-Schreiben vom 6. März 2025) · as of 2025-03-06
United Kingdom24%Source: GOV.UK (HMRC) — Check if you need to pay tax when you sell cryptoassets · as of 2025-05-29
Difference−24 ppUnited Kingdom higher

Between the two, United Kingdom's crypto tax rate (24%) tops Germany's (0%) by 24pp. The 88-country average is 13%: Germany sits below it, United Kingdom sits above it.

Wealth Tax

Wealth Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Germany0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Germany (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-06-30
United Kingdom0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — United Kingdom (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2025-12-24
Difference0 ppdisplayed rates match

There's no gap here — Germany and United Kingdom both post a wealth tax rate of 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it. Germany's figure is dated 2026-06-30 and United Kingdom's 2025-12-24, so the two rates come from different data vintages.