LA · AsiaPW · Oceania

Laos vs Palau: tax rates compared

Between the two, Laos's income tax rate (25%) tops Palau's (12%) by 13pp. The 200-country average is 28%: both sit below it.

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

0102030405060Income12%25%VAT10%Capital Gains0%2%Wealth Tax0%
four shared taxes, side by side
Tax LA PWDifference
Income Tax25%12%LA +13 pplargest gap
VAT10%10%match
Capital Gains Tax2%0%LA +2 pp
Wealth Tax0%0%match

Income Tax

Income Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Laos25%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Lao PDR (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-02-06
Palau12%Source: Government of Palau — Bureau of Revenue and Taxation, Wages and Salary Tax · as of 2026-07-20
Difference+13 ppLaos higher

VAT

VAT, side by side
CountryRateSource
Laos10%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Lao PDR (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-02-06
Palau10%Source: Palau Bureau of Revenue & Taxation — Palau Goods and Services Tax (PGST) · as of 2023-01-01
Difference0 ppdisplayed rates match

There's no gap here — Laos and Palau both post a VAT rate of 10%. The 181-country average is 15%: both sit below it. Laos's figure is dated 2026-02-06 and Palau's 2023-01-01, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Laos2%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Lao PDR (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-02-06
Palau0%Source: Government of Palau — Ministry of Finance, Bureau of Revenue and Taxation · as of 2026-07-19
Difference+2 ppLaos higher

Between the two, Laos's capital gains tax rate (2%) tops Palau's (0%) by 2pp. The 175-country average is 10.3%: both sit below it.

Wealth Tax

Wealth Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Laos0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Net wealth/worth tax rates (quick chart) · as of 2026-02-06
Palau0%Source: Palau National Code, Title 40 (Revenue and Taxation) — official text · as of 2026-07-18
Difference0 ppdisplayed rates match

There's no gap here — Laos and Palau both post a wealth tax rate of 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.

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