KR · AsiaTW · Asia
South Korea vs Taiwan: tax rates compared
Between the two, South Korea's income tax rate (49.5%) tops Taiwan's (40%) by 9.5pp. The 200-country average is 28%: both sit above it. South Korea's figure is dated 2025-01-01 and Taiwan's 2026-01-12, so the two rates come from different data vintages.
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 | KR | TW | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | 49.5% | 40% | KR +9.5 pplargest gap |
| Corporate Tax | 26.4% | 20% | KR +6.4 pp |
| VAT | 10% | 5% | KR +5 pp |
| Capital Gains Tax | 0% | 0% | match |
| Wealth Tax | 0% | 0% | match |
Income Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 49.5% | Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Taiwan | 40% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Taiwan (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-01-12 |
| Difference | +9.5 pp | South Korea higher |
Corporate Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 26.4% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Taiwan | 20% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Difference | +6.4 pp | South Korea higher |
Between the two, South Korea's corporate tax rate (26.4%) tops Taiwan's (20%) by 6.4pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: South Korea sits above it, Taiwan sits below it.
VAT
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 10% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Korea, Republic of (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-06-04 |
| Taiwan | 5% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Taiwan (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-01-12 |
| Difference | +5 pp | South Korea higher |
Between the two, South Korea's VAT rate (10%) tops Taiwan's (5%) by 5pp. The 181-country average is 15%: both sit below it.
Capital Gains Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Korea, Republic of (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-07-02 |
| Taiwan | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Taiwan (Individual, Income determination / Capital gains tax rates quick chart) · as of 2026-01-12 |
| Difference | 0 pp | displayed rates match |
There's no gap here — South Korea and Taiwan both post a capital gains tax rate of 0%. The 175-country average is 10.3%: both sit below it.
Wealth Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Korea, Republic of (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-07-02 |
| Taiwan | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Taiwan (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-01-12 |
| Difference | 0 pp | displayed rates match |
There's no gap here — South Korea and Taiwan 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.