Jamaica capital gains tax: no general tax, transfer tax on specified sales
Jamaica does not impose a separate general capital-gains tax on ordinary private investment gains. The Transfer Tax Act instead taxes specified transfers and defines capital gains only for calculating that transfer tax. Whether your disposal is short-term or trading income under the Income Tax Act decides whether it is taxed as income, and property transfers carry transfer tax and stamp duty on the transaction, not the gain.
Verified as of 2026-09-18 against the Transfer Tax Act and the Jamaica Information Service.
Current rules
Taxes on selling shares, crypto and property in Jamaica
What you pay when you sell
| Asset or transaction | What you pay |
|---|---|
| Private investment gains (shares, securities, other assets) | Nothing on the gain, no separate general capital gains tax |
| Securities | No separate securities CGT |
| Gains that are short-term or trading income | Taxable under the Income Tax Act. A business dealing in assets gets no blanket exemption |
| Inter vivos transfers | 2% transfer tax on the transfer, a transaction charge, not a tax on the gain |
| Legal instruments, including transfer documents | Stamp duty, ad valorem or flat-rate, a document charge, not a tax on the gain |
Figures come from official records as of 2026-09-18; each table links back to the authority page above.
Questions
Jamaica capital gains tax questions
Does Jamaica have a capital gains tax?
Not a separate general one. Jamaica does not impose a separate general capital-gains tax on ordinary private investment gains. The official Transfer Tax Act instead taxes specified transfers, and it defines capital gains only for calculating that transfer tax.
When would a gain be taxed?
When it is short-term or trading income. Such gains are taxable under the Income Tax Act, so a business dealing in assets gets no exemption from the lack of a capital gains tax. Ordinary private investment gains stay outside that net.
What does selling or transferring property cost?
Transaction charges, not a gains tax. The Government of Jamaica states the transfer-tax rate on inter vivos transfers was reduced and made permanent at 2%, and stamp duty applies to legal instruments including transfer documents, described as ad valorem and flat-rate. Both are charged on the transaction whether you make a gain or a loss.
Is there a securities capital gains tax in Jamaica?
Jamaica has no separate securities CGT. A private disposal of securities falls under the same position: no separate general capital-gains tax, unless the disposal is short-term or trading income under the Income Tax Act.
What exactly does the Transfer Tax Act say?
Jamaica does not impose a separate general capital-gains tax on ordinary private investment gains in the cited framework; the official Transfer Tax Act instead taxes specified transfers and defines capital gains for calculating that transfer tax. Source: https://laws.moj.gov.jm/legislation/statutes/T/The%20Transfer%20Tax%20Act_compressed.pdf
Can a gain still be taxed as income?
Short-term or trading income can remain taxable under the Income Tax Act — this is not a blanket exemption for a business dealing in assets.
What is the transfer-tax rate?
Transfer tax: the Government of Jamaica states that the rate on inter vivos transfers was reduced and made permanent at 2%. Source: https://jis.gov.jm/house-passes-transfer-tax-amendment-act-2019/
What about stamp duty?
Stamp duty applies to legal instruments, including transfer documents; the government describes ad valorem and flat-rate stamp duty for transaction documents. Source: https://www.gov.jm/government-services?businessservices=
Is there a securities CGT?
These are transfer/document charges, not a tax on the net investment gain. No separate securities CGT was identified in the cited official sources.