American Samoa
| Pros |
|---|
| Exemption from US federal income tax on income sourced within the territory |
| Strategic access to US markets while maintaining local control over business regulations |
| High level of personal safety and a close-knit community oriented toward traditional values |
| Cons |
|---|
| Restrictive communal land ownership laws limiting private property acquisition for non-indigenous entrepreneurs |
| Significant geographic isolation leading to high transportation costs and limited infrastructure development |
| Potential for administrative delays and local political influence within the regulatory environment |
Will American Samoa tax what you earn?
NO. American Samoa doesn't tax personal income, and doesn't reach for you when you settle. No withholding, no return, no centre-of-vital-interests test waiting to trip. Salary is a non-event here, both in the rate and in the paperwork.
Will American Samoa tax what you own?
NO. American Samoa doesn't tax what you hold. No capital gains, no annual wealth assessment, no inheritance regime. The value sitting in your portfolio compounds untouched, and leaves it the same way it arrived.
Is it easy to run a company in American Samoa?
YES. American Samoa delivers the maximum operational chill: no corporate income tax on standard profits, no criminal liability for misuse of corporate assets, and non-public corporate registries. The state doesn't take a cut, doesn't put your intra-company flows on a prosecutor's desk, and doesn't drop your name into a public search box. VAT sits at n/a.
Is American Samoa good for your holding company?
NO. American Samoa doesn't carry a treaty network, which makes it unsuitable as a holding jurisdiction. Any dividend flowing in or out faces full statutory withholding, and no domestic participation exemption can compensate for missing relief on the source side.
| Country | Status | Dividends | Interest | Royalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| ∅ // no treaties match | ||||
What does it cost to come and go from American Samoa?
SOME. American Samoa taxes worldwide income while you're resident, but there's no exit tax on the way out. The cost of leaving is mostly paperwork: unrealised gains follow you to the next jurisdiction untouched.
Will American Samoa protect your privacy?
YES. American Samoa has joined almost none of the major automatic-exchange frameworks (CRS, FATCA, CARF, MLI, MAAC), and its corporate registries are non-public. Account flows stay out of foreign hands; ownership stays out of public ones. Discretion is built into the system.
Is American Samoa itself a liability?
YES. American Samoa sits on multiple major blacklists. Counterparties routinely apply anti-abuse rules, higher withholding, or refuse the transaction entirely. The jurisdiction itself is the risk, regardless of the substance of what you're doing inside it.
Will you feel free in American Samoa?
Not enough data to assess civil liberties and financial freedom in American Samoa.
Other jurisdictions worth comparing
Picked by similarity of strategic profile to American Samoa. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.