HK · AsiaGB · Europe

Hong Kong vs United Kingdom: tax rates compared

Between the two, United Kingdom's income tax rate (45%) tops Hong Kong's (17%) by 28pp. The 200-country average is 28%: Hong Kong sits below it, United Kingdom sits 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

0102030405060Income17%45%Corporate16.5%25%VAT0%20%Capital Gains0%24%Crypto0%24%Wealth Tax0%
six shared taxes, side by side
Tax HK GBDifference
Income Tax17%45%GB +28 pplargest gap
Corporate Tax16.5%25%GB +8.5 pp
VAT0%20%GB +20 pp
Capital Gains Tax0%24%GB +24 pp
Crypto Tax0%24%GB +24 pp
Wealth Tax0%0%match

Income Tax

Income Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Hong Kong17%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Hong Kong SAR (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2025-12-31
United Kingdom45%Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01
Difference−28 ppUnited Kingdom higher

Corporate Tax

Corporate Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Hong Kong16.5%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−8.5 ppUnited Kingdom higher

Between the two, United Kingdom's corporate tax rate (25%) tops Hong Kong's (16.5%) by 8.5pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: Hong Kong sits below it, United Kingdom sits above it.

VAT

VAT, side by side
CountryRateSource
Hong Kong0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Hong Kong SAR (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2025-12-31
United Kingdom20%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — United Kingdom (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2025-12-24
Difference−20 ppUnited Kingdom higher

Between the two, United Kingdom's VAT rate (20%) tops Hong Kong's (0%) by 20pp. The 181-country average is 15%: Hong Kong sits below it, United Kingdom sits above it.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Hong Kong0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Hong Kong SAR (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2025-12-31
United Kingdom24%Source: GOV.UK (HMRC) — Capital Gains Tax: rates · as of 2024-10-30
Difference−24 ppUnited Kingdom higher

Between the two, United Kingdom's capital gains tax rate (24%) tops Hong Kong's (0%) by 24pp. The 175-country average is 10.3%: Hong Kong sits below it, United Kingdom sits above it. Hong Kong's figure is dated 2025-12-31 and United Kingdom's 2024-10-30, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Crypto Tax

Crypto Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Hong Kong0%Source: Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department — Departmental Interpretation and Practice Notes No. 39 (Revised): Digital Economy, Electronic Commerce and Digital Assets · as of 2020-03-01
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 Hong Kong's (0%) by 24pp. The 88-country average is 13%: Hong Kong sits below it, United Kingdom sits above it. Hong Kong's figure is dated 2020-03-01 and United Kingdom's 2025-05-29, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Wealth Tax

Wealth Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Hong Kong0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Hong Kong SAR (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2025-12-31
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 — Hong Kong and United Kingdom both post a wealth tax rate of 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.