Every headline rate in one place, each linked to the guidance it comes from.
Sint Maarten's rates are not difficult to find individually. They are difficult to find together, which is why people end up quoting a rate from one context in a situation it does not apply to. This page collects the headline figures and, more importantly, states what each one is charged on.
The distinction that causes most confusion is between turnover tax and profit tax. One is charged on revenue and filed monthly. The other is charged on profit and filed annually. A company can owe both, and the two have nothing to do with each other.
| Tax | Rate | Charged on | Filed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit tax | 34.5% | Taxable profit of a company | Annual, due 30 June | Source → |
| Turnover tax (TOT / BBO) | 5% | Goods delivered and services supplied in Sint Maarten | Monthly, including nil returns | Source → |
| Penshonado income tax | 10% | Total worldwide income of a qualifying resident | Annual declaration | Source → |
| Personal income tax | Progressive | Income of a resident, up to 46.5% at the top | Annual return | Source → |
| Property transfer tax | 4% | Purchase price or assessed value, whichever is higher | On acquisition | Source → |
| Annual land tax | 0.3% | Assessed value of land and buildings (indicative) | Annual | Source → |
| ZV health premium | 8.3% / 4.2% | Employer share / employee share | Monthly via SZV | Source → |
| Provisional payment interest | 4% per year | Underpaid provisional profit tax | On assessment | Source → |
AOV, AWW, AVBZ and OV premiums are set annually and several are subject to a wage ceiling, so a single percentage would be misleading. CaribTax's guidance notes the AOV and AWW premium is calculated up to an annual wage ceiling of ANG 131,966. Pull the current figures from SZV rather than carrying last year's forward.
Minimum wage is reviewed annually. Estate duty does not apply: CaribTax's estate planning guidance notes Sint Maarten levies no estate duty when assets pass to heirs. Capital gains are covered in the real estate guidance, which notes no capital gains tax, though whether an activity amounts to trading rather than passive holding is a question of conduct rather than of rate.
The rate is rarely the hard part. What is hard is establishing which basis you are taxed on, which depends on residency status, on where income arises, and on whether more than one jurisdiction has a claim. A Penshonado resident and a non-resident with Sint Maarten source income are looking at completely different calculations from the same table above.
If you are not sure which column applies to you, the one-minute check will tell you, or the calculators let you model it directly.
That is the published rate on taxable profit, and it is higher than many people expect from a Caribbean jurisdiction. The figure that gets quoted as low, 10%, is the Penshonado personal rate for qualifying individuals, which is a different tax on a different base.
A company can owe both. Turnover tax is charged on revenue at 5% and filed monthly; profit tax is charged on profit at 34.5% and filed annually. They are separate obligations on separate bases.
They are the rates published in CaribTax's guidance at the time of writing, each linked to its source. Rates and premium figures are set periodically and do change, so confirm before you file or rely on any of them.
Because it depends on the bracket, on allowances and on personal circumstances. CaribTax's guidance notes rates reaching up to 46.5% at the top, which is precisely why the Penshonado flat rate is worth assessing eligibility for.
No. Turnover tax behaves differently from a VAT, because input tax cannot be offset. That is why it compounds through a supply chain rather than being neutral for businesses in the middle of it.
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