LA · AsiaZA · Africa
Laos vs South Africa: tax rates compared
Between the two, South Africa's income tax rate (45%) tops Laos's (25%) by 20pp. The 200-country average is 28%: Laos sits below it, South Africa sits above it.
Verified data covers five of the six tracked tax types for both countries; every rate below is cited to its source and dated.
At a glance
| Tax | LA | ZA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | 25% | 45% | ZA +20 pplargest gap |
| Corporate Tax | 20% | 27% | ZA +7 pp |
| VAT | 10% | 15% | ZA +5 pp |
| Capital Gains Tax | 2% | 18% | ZA +16 pp |
| Wealth Tax | 0% | 0% | match |
Income Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laos | 25% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Lao PDR (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-02-06 |
| South Africa | 45% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-03-01 |
| Difference | −20 pp | South Africa higher |
Corporate Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laos | 20% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| South Africa | 27% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Difference | −7 pp | South Africa higher |
Between the two, South Africa's corporate tax rate (27%) tops Laos's (20%) by 7pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: Laos sits below it, South Africa sits above it.
VAT
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laos | 10% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Lao PDR (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-02-06 |
| South Africa | 15% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-05-29 |
| Difference | −5 pp | South Africa higher |
Between the two, South Africa's VAT rate (15%) tops Laos's (10%) by 5pp. The 181-country average is 15%: Laos sits below it, South Africa matches the world average.
Capital Gains Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laos | 2% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Lao PDR (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-02-06 |
| South Africa | 18% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-05-29 |
| Difference | −16 pp | South Africa higher |
Between the two, South Africa's capital gains tax rate (18%) tops Laos's (2%) by 16pp. The 175-country average is 10.3%: Laos sits below it, South Africa sits above it.
Wealth Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laos | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Net wealth/worth tax rates (quick chart) · as of 2026-02-06 |
| South Africa | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-05-29 |
| Difference | 0 pp | displayed rates match |
There's no gap here — Laos and South Africa 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: Crypto Tax.