Africa

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Corporate rate
18-25%
Top personal rate
26-27%
VAT / GST rate
No VAT
One-sentence summary A genuinely unusual case: this single British Overseas Territory is actually THREE separate tax jurisdictions, each with its own tax laws - Saint Helena (15% on first GBP 6,000, 27% above), Ascension Island (21% on first GBP 18,000, 26% above; companies 25% flat, with 5 named companies at 18% and all others at 0%), and Tristan da Cunha (its own separate legislature since 2009).

Tax System

Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha each have their OWN tax laws, entirely separate from Saint Helena's, despite sharing a single Governor and territory name. This is not one tax system but three. Residents on each island are taxed on their own island's basis.

Tax Year & Key Deadlines

The tax year is the calendar year across all three islands.

Corporate Tax Rate

On Ascension Island, companies pay a flat 25% on chargeable income, with reduced rates for export, fishing, agriculture, and local manufacturing activities - notably, only 5 specifically named companies are taxed (at 18%), with all other companies taxed at 0%. Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha have their own separate corporate tax structures under their respective local tax laws.

Personal Tax Rate

Saint Helena: 15% on the first GBP 6,000 of annual income, 27% above, with a GBP 3,500 tax-free personal allowance plus dependent allowances. Ascension Island: 21% on the first GBP 18,000, 26% above; dividends taxed at 8% for individuals (exempt for companies); capital gains at 10%. Military personnel on Ascension are exempt, as are short-term business visitors present no more than 7 days.

VAT / GST Rate

No VAT or GST applies on any of the three islands based on the sources reviewed.

Residency

Residency and tax liability are determined separately on each island given their genuinely separate tax law frameworks; presence-based tests generally apply, with specific exemptions for military personnel and short-term business visitors on Ascension Island.

Permanent Establishment

A non-resident entity would have a permanent establishment on whichever specific island (Saint Helena, Ascension, or Tristan da Cunha) it maintains a fixed place of business or dependent agent, assessed separately under that island's own tax law given the tripartite structure.

CFC (Controlled Foreign Company) Rules

No CFC-style attribution provision was found in the sources reviewed for any of the three islands, consistent with their small scale and simplified tax structures.

Thin Capitalization

No statutory thin capitalization ratio or interest-limitation rule was identified in the sources reviewed.

Hybrid Entity Rules

None of the three islands use an elective check-the-box classification system or have a comprehensive ATAD2-style anti-hybrid regime.

Foreign Bank Account / Foreign Financial Asset Reporting

No foreign bank account or foreign financial asset reporting regime exists on any of the three islands requiring residents to separately disclose foreign accounts.

Participation Exemption

No broad participation exemption was identified in the sources reviewed; Ascension Island's exemption of company dividends from further tax (see Personal Tax Rate above) is a narrower, specific provision rather than a full participation exemption regime.

Foreign Tax Credit

No comprehensive foreign tax credit regime was confirmed in the sources reviewed for these islands specifically; confirm current provisions directly given the very limited public documentation available for jurisdictions of this scale.

Treaty Network

These islands do not maintain a broad independent double tax treaty network given their British Overseas Territory status and very small scale; confirm any specific UK-mediated arrangement directly before relying on treaty relief.

Official tax authority: Government of Saint Helena (separate tax administrations on Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) - sainthelena.gov.sh
Sources: LawGratis - Tax Laws: Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Regan van Rooy - Taxation in St Helena. Page last verified: August 09, 2026. General information only - confirm current rates and any specific position with a licensed advisor in this jurisdiction before relying on this page.