Cyprus or Malta: which taxes less?

Both tax systems side by side, headline rates and the gap between them.

Lighter: Cyprus, ahead by 1.5 FiScore point.

Malta

3.7/10

193rd of 217

Tax Cyprus Malta Gap
Corporate income tax headline rate 15% 35% −20.0 points
Personal income tax top bracket 0% to 35% 0% to 35% Same rate
VAT standard rate 19% 18% +1.0 points

Detailed schedules

Corporate income tax

Cyprus

General regime since 1 January 2026 15%
Eligible intellectual property income IP Box regime 2.5%

Malta

Headline rate 35%
Effective rate after shareholder refund trading company, 6/7 refund 5%
Passive income and royalties 5/7 refund 10%
See the Cyprus page See the Malta page