Corporate Tax Compliance Regime

In addition to tax rates, another factor of importance to companies is the amount of time and effort spent on tax compliance and reporting.

According to the latest PWC ranking, the product of a study ran in partnership with the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation, Qatar has the world’s simplest corporate tax regime while Bolivia has the most burdensome.

Paying Taxes 2016 is the annual edition of a study by PWC, the World Bank and the IFC comparing tax systems in 189 economies around the world. It aims to rate the word’s tax systems from the point of view of a standardized business, based on a set of indicators ranging from the total tax rate, to the time to comply to the number of payments. The study covers the full range of taxes paid by the company, not only the corporate income tax.

Qatar tops the list finally removing the United Arab Emirates from their hold in the rankings. Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Singapore have not budged from their place. Ireland came in at position number 6, the highest-ranked country in Europe. In North America, Canada had the simplest regime for corporate tax compliance—ranked 8 worldwide. The United States moves up in position to 53 and Mexico to 92.

Chile was first in Latin America—at number 33—while Belize came in at 69. Brazil drops to 178th. In Asia-Pacific, Australia was in the middle of the ranking at 42, and China was marked as having a relatively complex tax regime—coming in at 132.

The most difficult countries to manage tax payments—those countries that came at the bottom of the ranking— included Mauritania, Venezuela, and Bolivia

Ease Of Paying Taxes By Country

Country	Rank	Total tax rate (% of profit)	Time (hours per year)	Payments (# per year)
Qatar	1	11.3	41	4
United Arab Emirates	1	15.9	12	4
Saudi Arabia	3	15	64	3
Hong Kong SAR, China	4	22.8	74	3
Singapore	5	18.4	83.5	6
Ireland	6	25.9	82	9
Macedonia, FYR	7	12.9	119	7
Bahrain	8	13.5	60	13
Canada	9	21.1	131	8
Oman	10	22.9	68	14
Kuwait	11	13	98	12
Denmark	12	24.5	130	10
Mauritius	13	22.4	152	8
Norway	14	39.5	83	4
United Kingdom	15	32	110	8
Brunei Darussalam	16	8.7	89	18
Finland	17	37.9	93	8
Kazakhstan	18	29.2	188	7
Switzerland	19	28.8	63	19
South Africa	20	28.8	200	7
Luxembourg	21	20.1	55	23
New Zealand	22	34.3	152	8
Kiribati	23	32.7	156	10
Bahamas, The	24	33.7	58	19
Malta	25	41.3	139	7
Netherlands	26	41	123	9
Latvia	27	35.9	193	7
Bhutan	28	35.3	85	18
Korea, Rep.	29	33.2	188	12
Estonia	30	49.4	81	8
Malaysia	31	40	118	13
San Marino	32	40.5	52	19
Chile	33	28.9	291	7
Azerbaijan	34	39.8	195	7
Slovenia	35	31	245	10
Iceland	36	29.6	140	21
Sweden	37	49.1	122	6
Croatia	38	20	206	19
Taiwan	39	34.5	221	11
Georgia	40	16.4	362	5
Armenia	41	19.9	313	10
Australia	42	47.6	105	11
Seychelles	43	30.1	85	29
Cyprus	44	24.4	145.5	27
Lebanon	45	30.3	183	20
Zambia	46	18.6	157	26
Russian Federation	47	47	168	7
Rwanda	48	33	109	25
Lithuania	49	42.6	171	11
Guatemala	50	37.5	256	8
Peru	50	35.9	260	9
Jordan	52	29.5	151	25
United States	53	43.9	175	10.6
Vanuatu	54	8.5	120	31
Romania	55	42	159	14
West Bank and Gaza	56	15.3	162	28
Timor-Leste	57	11.2	276	18
Poland	58	40.3	271	7
Iraq	59	27.8	312	14
Spain	60	50	158	9
Turkey	61	40.9	226	11
Morocco	62	49.1	211	6
Belarus	63	51.8	176	7
Montenegro	64	21.6	314	17
Portugal	65	41	275	8
Greece	66	49.6	193	8
Kosovo	67	15.2	155	32
Solomon Islands	68	32	80	34
Belize	69	31.1	147	29
Thailand	70	27.5	264	22
Botswana	71	25.1	152	34
Germany	72	48.8	218	9
Slovak Republic	73	51.2	188	10
Austria	74	51.7	166	12
Suriname	75	27.9	199	30
Madagascar	76	38.1	183	23
Dominican Republic	77	42.4	316	7
Moldova	78	40.2	186	21
Swaziland	79	34.7	110	33
Costa Rica	80	58	151	9
Tunisia	81	59.9	144	8
Tonga	82	30.1	200	30
St. Lucia	83	34.7	110	35
Myanmar	84	31.4	188	31
Djibouti	85	37.6	82	36
Bangladesh	86	31.6	302	21
France	87	62.7	137	8
Bulgaria	88	27	423	14
Afghanistan	89	36.3	275	20
Belgium	90	58.4	161	11
Mongolia	91	24.4	148	41
Mexico	92	51.7	286	6
Namibia	93	21.3	302	27
Cabo Verde	94	36.5	180	30
Cambodia	95	21	173	40
Hungary	95	48.4	277	11
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	97	38.6	108	36
Dominica	98	37	117	37
Barbados	99	34.7	237	28
Samoa	100	18.1	224	37
Kenya	101	37.1	201.5	30
Malawi	102	34.5	174.5	35
Israel	103	30.6	235	33
South Sudan	104	29	210	37
Uganda	105	36.5	209	31
Ghana	106	32.7	224	33
Ukraine	107	52.2	350	5
Fiji	108	31.1	195	39
Lesotho	109	13.6	324	32
Papua New Guinea	110	39.3	207	32
Burundi	111	40.3	274	25
Paraguay	111	35	378	20
Ethiopia	113	32.1	306	30
Trinidad and Tobago	114	32.2	210	39
Uzbekistan	115	41.1	192.5	33
Micronesia, Fed. Sts.	116	60.5	128	21
Guyana	117	32.3	256	35
Liberia	118	47.8	139.5	33
Syrian Arab Republic	119	42.7	336	20
Mozambique	120	36.1	217	37
Japan	121	51.3	330	14
Czech Republic	122	50.4	405	8
Iran, Islamic Rep.	123	44.1	344	20
Nepal	124	29.5	334	34
Marshall Islands	125	64.8	128	21
Philippines	126	42.9	193	36
Lao PDR	127	25.3	362	35
Maldives	128	30.2	394.5	30
Sierra Leone	129	31	344	34
Uruguay	130	41.8	277	31
Palau	131	75.4	142	11
China	132	67.8	261	9
Grenada	132	45.3	140	42
Puerto Rico (U.S.)	134	65.8	218	16
Yemen, Rep.	135	33.1	248	44
Colombia	136	69.7	239	11
Italy	137	64.8	269	14
Kyrgyz Republic	138	29	225	51
Ecuador	139	33	654	8
Sudan	140	45.4	180	42
Angola	141	48.4	282	30
Albania	142	36.5	357	34
Haiti	143	40.3	184	47
Serbia	143	39.7	244.3	42
Zimbabwe	145	32.8	242	49
Jamaica	146	35.2	358	37
St. Kitts and Nevis	147	49.7	203	39
Indonesia	148	29.7	234	54
Mali	149	48.3	270	35
Tanzania	150	43.9	179	49
Egypt, Arab Rep.	151	45	392	29
Guinea-Bissau	152	45.5	208	46
Burkina Faso	153	41.3	270	45
Bosnia and Herzegovina	154	23.3	420	45
Honduras	155	44.3	224	48
Niger	156	48.2	270	41
India	157	60.6	243	33
Gabon	158	45.7	488	26
Sri Lanka	158	55.2	167	47
Libya	160	32.8	889	19
Antigua and Barbuda	161	41.9	207	57
El Salvador	162	38.7	312	53
Togo	163	48.5	270	50
São Tomé and Príncipe	164	38.2	424	45
Nicaragua	165	63.9	207	43
Panama	166	37.2	417	52
Comoros	167	216.5	100	33
Vietnam	168	39.4	770	30
Algeria	169	72.7	385	27
Argentina	170	137.4	405	9
Pakistan	171	32.6	594	47
Tajikistan	172	81.8	276	28
Congo, Dem. Rep.	173	54.6	346	52
Eritrea	174	83.7	216	30
Equatorial Guinea	175	47.1	492	46
Côte d’Ivoire	176	51.9	270	63
Gambia, The	177	63.3	326	50
Brazil	178	69.2	2,600.00	9.6
Benin	179	63.3	270	57
Cameroon	180	48.8	630	44
Nigeria	181	33.3	907.9	59
Congo, Rep.	182	56	602	50
Senegal	183	47.3	620	58
Guinea	184	68.3	440	57
Central African Republic	185	73.3	483	56
Chad	186	63.5	732	54
Mauritania	187	71.3	734	49
Venezuela, RB	188	65	792	70
Bolivia	189	83.7	1,025.00	42
Bangladesh – Dhaka	..	31.6	302	21
Bangladesh – Chittagong	..	31.6	302	21
Brazil – São Paulo	..	69.1	2,600.00	10
Brazil – Rio de Janeiro	..	69.4	2,600.00	9
China – Shanghai	..	67.2	261	9
China – Beijing	..	68.5	261	9
India – Mumbai	..	60.6	243	33
India – Delhi	..	60.6	243	33
Indonesia – Jakarta	..	29.7	234	54
Indonesia – Surabaya	..	29.7	234	54
Japan – Tokyo	..	51.3	330	14
Japan – Osaka	..	51.4	330	14
Mexico – Mexico City	..	51.7	286	6
Mexico – Monterrey	..	51.7	286	6
Nigeria – Lagos	..	33.4	956	59
Nigeria – Kano	..	33.3	747	59
Pakistan – Karachi	..	32.5	594	47
Pakistan – Lahore	..	32.8	594	47
Russian Federation – Moscow	..	47.1	168	7
Russian Federation – Saint Petersburg	..	46.8	168	7
United States – New York City	..	45.9	175	11
United States – Los Angeles	..	40.9	175	10