Antigua and Barbuda sales tax: rates and returns
Source-cited draft; independent review pending. Sources accessed 22 October 2026. This Guide covers the stated topic only, not comprehensive country coverage.
Rate evidence
Section 2 of the Revenue (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 replaces the 14% and 15% figures in section 8(3)(b) and (d) with 17%. It also changes the passenger-transport exemption to exclude tour operators. Act 13/2023, pp4–5. The government Consumer Affairs Division confirms the standard increase took effect 1 January 2024. Official 2024 consumer guidance.
The IRD's still-linked older FAQ prints 15% standard and 14% accommodation rates. Those figures must not drive ordinary current-rate calculations. This draft does not verify temporary reduction days, concessions, tour-operator transition dates or zero/exempt classifications.
Return deadline
The ABST (Amendment) Act 1/2024 replaces section 39(1): each tax-period return is due no later than 15 calendar days after the period ends. Its commencement clause applies this from the period ending 31 March 2024 onward. Act 1/2024, ss1 and 3, pp4–5.
For a period ending 30 September 2026, the nominal return date is 15 October 2026. Do not use the older FAQ's one-calendar-month description. Payment timing, weekend/holiday extensions and any subsequent special notices need their own verified authority; this draft does not assume that changing section 39 automatically proves every payment rule.
Ordinary taxable-sale calculation
Assume registered status and an already verified supply subject to 17%, outside any special relief period:
| Item | EC$ |
|---|---|
| Net taxable sales | 100,000 |
| Output ABST: 100,000 × 17% | 17,000 |
| Gross invoices | 117,000 |
| Independently established deductible input ABST | 7,000 |
| Output less that input amount | 10,000 |
For a tax-inclusive price of EC$117, the tax component is 117 × 17/117 = EC$17. Multiplying the inclusive price by 17% would overstate the tax. The EC$7,000 input figure is an assumed reviewed amount, not an assertion that all purchases are creditable.
Preparation and remaining work
Build a transaction register with supply date, net value, ABST, invoice reference and treatment. Separate ordinary taxable sales, zero-rated sales, exempt supplies, imports and adjustments. Reconcile the register to the sales ledger, tax control account and return. Maintain a dated rule for each exceptional transaction.
Registration thresholds and compulsory professional registration, input-credit restrictions, invoices, imports, refund conditions, records, penalties and current exemption instruments require further primary-law review. The older FAQ is useful for locating these questions, but its obsolete rates and deadline prevent treating it as a complete current compliance checklist.
Review output
Retain the calculation, source versions and factual classification. A qualified local reviewer must check current amendments and the actual case before anyone files, pays or relies on the result. No professional attestation is claimed.
Contributed by Ryan Duguid.
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General reference only. This document does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Verify figures against the cited primary sources or with a licensed professional before relying on them.
Today's figures and who stands behind this skill
This file is an AI skill (tax rules your AI follows) from OpenAccountants, copied on 2026-10-23. Rates, thresholds and deadlines change. For the current version of this skill, its official sources and the named accountant (if any) who stands behind it, call get_skill with slug ag-abst on the OpenAccountants connector (https://www.openaccountants.com/connect), or read https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/ag-abst. If neither is available, confirm every figure against the official source pages cited above before relying on it.
