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Taxes
in Northern Cyprus
There are four main taxes
involved in any property sale and purchase transaction.
These taxes are:
The Transfer
Fee which is payable to Land Registry Office
The
Capital Gains Tax which is payable to the Tax
Office
The
VAT (KDV) which is payable to the Tax Office
or to the Vendor The
Stamp Duty which is payable to the Tax
Office
Different taxes
apply to gifts of property for no consideration and transfers of
property between family members. As a general rule, Capital Gains
Tax is payable by the vendor and the Transfer Fee and Stamp Duty
is payable by the purchaser. Taxes are generally paid on transfer
of title. The percentages listed below are calculated as follows:
the Transfer Fee is generally paid as a percentage of the assessed
value of the property which is carried out just before transfer
of title takes place. The VAT, Capital Gains and the Stamp Duty
are based on either the assessed value or the contract value, whichever
is the highest. Under new regulations, the Tax Office now requires
a copy of the contract of sale to be presented to it prior to transfer
of title. The percentages levied for each of the three types of
tax are shown below:
TRANSFER FEE
- The transfer fee is 6%. However, every person has a once in a
lifetime option to reduce this to 3%. If a purchaser elects to use
this option on the purchase, he or she will only pay 3%. Once this
option right has been used, the transfer fee payable on all future
purchases by that person will be 6%.
VAT FOR PROPERTY
TRANSACTIONS - 5% of either the assessed value or the sale price.
CAPITAL GAINS
TAX – The rate will be 3.5% payable by the Vendor.
STAMP DUTY –
This is 0.5% of the contract price provided this is paid within
1 month of the date of the contract. If it is not paid within this
time, the rate increases in stages until after 6 months it becomes
1.5%.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
Will I have to pay Capital Gains Tax on my purchase?
Generally no. The Vendor usually pays Capital Gains Tax, unless
otherwise stipulated in your contract.
Will
I have to pay Capital Gains Tax on the sale of my property? If so,
how much will this be?
This depends on whether you are a private individual or a professional
vendor. Every private individual has a once in a lifetime tax free
sale option (for a house and land not exceeding approximately 1
donum). If you use this option, you will not be liable to Capital
Gains Tax on that sale. On all subsequent sales, Capital Gains Tax
will be payable at 3.5%, provided you do not sell more than 3 properties
in one year, making you a professional vendor. For professional
vendors, there are no tax exemption rights. Capital Gains Tax is
payable on every sale at a rate of 6.25%.
What
if I sell my property before taking title? Will I still have to
pay Capital Gains Tax?
Capital Gains Tax is not payable if you sell the property before
taking title by doing an assignment of contract.
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