Montserrat capital gains tax: none, stamp duty on land sales
Montserrat has no capital gains tax, so the tax on your investment gain is zero. Shares, funds, crypto and property alike, a private disposal carries no tax on the gain, whatever the holding period. Income tax reaches only the heads listed in section 3 of the Income and Corporation Tax Act, and the Stamp Act charges the sale price, never the gain.
Verified as of 2026-09-30 against the Government of Montserrat and the Income and Corporation Tax Act.
Current rules
Taxes on selling shares, crypto and property in Montserrat
What you pay when you sell
| Asset | Tax on the gain |
|---|---|
| Shares (personal investment) | Nothing. No Montserrat act taxes an investor's gain on shares |
| Crypto | Nothing on the gain |
| Funds and ETFs | Nothing on the gain |
| Property (personal investment) | Nothing on the gain |
| Trading as a business | Profits of a trade are income under section 3(a) of the Income and Corporation Tax Act and are taxed on the income tax scale, which reaches 40% above XCD 150,000 |
| Selling land | Stamp duty on the sale price under the Stamp Act, $5 for every $250 above $2,000 (2% of the price), owed whether the sale makes a gain or a loss |
| Buying land as a non-citizen | Landholding licence fee of $2,500 or 5% of the price, whichever is greater |
Questions
Montserrat capital gains tax questions
Does Montserrat have a capital gains tax?
No. The Government of Montserrat states that no specific capital gains tax is levied. Income tax under the Income and Corporation Tax Act reaches only the heads listed in section 3, and a capital gain is not one of them. Whether you sell shares after a week or land after twenty years, the gain itself is not taxed.
So what does selling cost?
Stamp duty, and it is charged on the price, not the gain. A conveyance on sale of land carries $5 for every $250 of the price above $2,000 under the Stamp Act, about 2% of the price, and it is owed whether the sale makes a gain or a loss. A non-citizen buyer also pays a landholding licence fee of $2,500 or 5% of the price, whichever is greater.
Is crypto taxed in Montserrat?
Not as a capital gain. Montserrat has no capital gains tax, and crypto held as a private investment is a capital asset like any other. Profits from trading crypto as a business are trade income and go on the income tax scale.
When are gains taxed as income?
When you trade as a business. Gains or profits from a trade, profession or vocation are income under section 3(a) of the Income and Corporation Tax Act. For 2026 the scale is 5% from XCD 18,001 to 25,000, 20% to 35,000, 25% to 45,000, 30% to 150,000 and 40% above that, after the XCD 18,000 general deduction.
What does the Government of Montserrat say about capital gains?
Montserrat has no capital gains tax. The Government of Montserrat's investment page on taxation states that no specific capital gains tax is levied. Source: https://www.invest.gov.ms/doing-business-on-montserrat
Which income does the Income and Corporation Tax Act tax?
Income tax is charged only on the heads of income in section 3 of the Income and Corporation Tax Act (Cap. 17.01): trade, profession or vocation, employment, the annual value of land used for residence, dividends, interest or discounts, annuities, rents, royalties and premiums, annual gains or profits not falling under another head, and pension income. A private gain on the sale of shares, crypto or land is not a listed head. Source: https://www.gov.ms/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Income-and-Incorporation-Tax-Act.pdf
Are share and property dealers taxed differently?
Profits of a trade are income under section 3(a), so a person who trades in shares or property as a business is taxed on those profits at the income tax scale, and the Inland Revenue Department lists buying and selling shares among the activities that require a return. An investor's gain on holding and selling an asset is outside the Act. Sources: https://www.gov.ms/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Income-and-Incorporation-Tax-Act.pdf and https://mcrs.ms/individual-tax-information/
What stamp duty do you pay on selling land?
Selling land carries stamp duty on the price, not on the gain: the Stamp Act (Cap. 17.02) charges a conveyance or transfer on sale $5 for every $250, and every fractional part of $250, of the consideration above $2,000 (2% of the price), with lower flat amounts on consideration up to $2,000. The duty is owed whether the sale makes a gain or a loss. Source: http://agc.gov.ms/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Stamp-Act.pdf
What licence fee does a non-citizen land buyer pay?
A non-citizen who buys land pays a landholding licence fee of $2,500 or 5% of the consideration paid for the land, whichever is greater, under the Landholding Control Act. Source: https://www.invest.gov.ms/doing-business-on-montserrat