Sign up for tax alert emails    GTNU homepage    Tax newsroom    Email document    Print document    Download document

September 30, 2022
2022-5928

El Salvador’s Tax Authority publishes list of tax havens for 2023

  • Transactions with individuals or entities incorporated, domiciled or located in tax havens need to comply with the arm's-length principle.

  • Payments or amounts credited to individuals or entities located in tax havens from taxpayers domiciled in El Salvador are generally subject to an increased withholding tax rate of 25%.

El Salvador’s Tax Authority issued its annual guide (Resolution No. MH.UVI.DGII 006.006/2022) on transactions with tax havens, which sets out a list of countries, states or territories that are considered to be preferential tax regimes, low or no tax jurisdictions, or tax havens for Salvadoran tax purposes (Tax Havens1).

This list will be effective for tax year 2023 (i.e., from 1 January to 31 December 2023).

Tax implications

Payments or credits made from El Salvador to individuals or legal entities domiciled or located in Tax Havens are subject to an increased income tax withholding rate of 25%.2

List of tax havens

Tax Havens in the low-tax category include 51 jurisdictions, among which are: Andorra, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Paraguay, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Turkiye.

Tax Havens in the no tax category include 44 jurisdictions, among which are: Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Curaçao, Cayman Islands, Islands of Man, Monaco, US Virgin Islands, and the US states of Delaware, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.

The guide also establishes that any entity of a country, state or territory not expressly mentioned in the list will be considered a Tax Haven if: (1) exemptions of income tax or similar taxes have been granted; (2) the income tax rate over net income is less than 80% of the applicable Salvadoran income tax rate; or (3) such entities operate under a preferential tax regime of low or no taxation established in a law or administrative provision.

Such entities include: holding companies, parent companies, auxiliary or mixed companies, service companies, financial subsidiaries or financial powers, private asset management companies, multinational companies’ headquarters, international trusts, entities with whom international financial lease agreements are held, trusts, limited liability companies (LLC), Private Interest Foundations and international business companies.

Additionally, the guide states that the list of Tax Havens is not comprehensive and refers to Section 62-A of the Salvadoran Tax Code, which sets forth the Tax Haven criteria.3

According to the guide, a jurisdiction meeting the statutory definition of a Tax Haven, but not included in the list, will be treated as a Tax Haven. Conversely, a taxpayer has the right to submit any relevant documents evidencing that a jurisdiction listed in this guide as a Tax Haven does not meet the statutory definition.

List of countries that have signed tax agreements or tax treaties with El Salvador

The guide lists Spain as a jurisdiction with which El Salvador has signed a double taxation treaty. Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua are listed as countries that have signed the Convention on Mutual Assistance and Technical Cooperation between the tax and customs administrations in Central America.

_________________________________________

For additional information with respect to this Alert, please contact the following:

Ernst & Young El Salvador

Ernst & Young LLP (United States), Latin American Business Center, New York

Ernst & Young LLP (United Kingdom), Latin American Business Center, London

Ernst & Young Tax Co., Latin American Business Center, Japan & Asia Pacific

_________________________________________

Endnotes

  1. The Guide makes a distinction between preferential tax regimes, low or nil-tax jurisdictions, and tax havens, but the tax implications are the same.

  2. Exceptions apply for the acquisition/transfer of certain tangible assets, international transportation services, insurance and related services, interest payments or income derived from capital invested or transactions related to securities, participations and other investment in a Salvadoran primary or secondary stock market, through the Salvadoran Stock Exchange.

  3. According to Section 62-A of the Salvadoran Tax Code, Tax Havens are those jurisdictions in any of the following situations: (i) jurisdictions where there is no income tax or where the income tax rate over net income is less than 80% of the applicable Salvadoran income tax rate (i.e., currently 30%), and (ii) jurisdictions classified as such by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Financial Action Task Force.

 
 

The information contained herein is general in nature and is not intended, and should not be construed, as legal, accounting or tax advice or opinion provided by Ernst & Young LLP to the reader. The reader also is cautioned that this material may not be applicable to, or suitable for, the reader's specific circumstances or needs, and may require consideration of non-tax and other tax factors if any action is to be contemplated. The reader should contact his or her Ernst & Young LLP or other tax professional prior to taking any action based upon this information. Ernst & Young LLP assumes no obligation to inform the reader of any changes in tax laws or other factors that could affect the information contained herein.

 

Copyright © 2024, Ernst & Young LLP.

 

All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, retransmitted or otherwise redistributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including by photocopying, facsimile transmission, recording, rekeying, or using any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from Ernst & Young LLP.

 

Any U.S. tax advice contained herein was not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by the recipient for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed under the Internal Revenue Code or applicable state or local tax law provisions.

 

"EY" refers to the global organisation, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.

 

Privacy  |  Cookies  |  BCR  |  Legal  |  Global Code of Conduct Opt out of all email from EY Global Limited.

 


Cookie Settings

This site uses cookies to provide you with a personalized browsing experience and allows us to understand more about you. More information on the cookies we use can be found here. By clicking 'Yes, I accept' you agree and consent to our use of cookies. More information on what these cookies are and how we use them, including how you can manage them, is outlined in our Privacy Notice. Please note that your decision to decline the use of cookies is limited to this site only, and not in relation to other EY sites or ey.com. Please refer to the privacy notice/policy on these sites for more information.


Yes, I accept         Find out more