How Much Do You Really Keep When Your Company Makes €100,000 Profit? And How Different Is It If You Are Based in Athens, London, or Dubai?
In today’s era of digital entrepreneurship and globalization, your business location might matter more than how you run your company. Using a simple but revealing tax exercise — €100,000 net profit, 2 employees with a net salary of €1,800/month — we compare three key jurisdictions: Greece, the UK, and Dubai.
The result? A cold truth about taxes, contributions, and the actual business yield behind the term “investment climate.”
If you are considering expansion, tax relocation, or just want to know where it’s really worth operating, this article is for you.
Τhe following is a comparative tax analysis based on €100,000 net company profits, including payroll costs for 2 employees each receiving a net salary of €1,800 per month (€25,200 per year). The analysis covers Greece, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai).
🔹General Data
- Company Net Profit: 100.000€
- Employees: 2
- Net Salary per Employee: €1,800/month → €25,200/year
- Year: 2025
- Legal Form: Private Company (IKE / LTD, depending on jurisdiction)
🇬🇷 GREECE
📌Payroll Costs:
- Net: €25,200 per employee → total for 2 employees: 50.400€
- Employer contributions (~24%): ~16.800€
- Total payroll cost: ~67.200€
📌 Corporate Taxation:
- Corporate income tax: 22% on (100,000 – 67,200) = €7,216
- Dividends (optional): 5% on distributed profit = €1,636
✅ Net Profit After Taxes:
100,000 – 67,200 – 7,216 = €25,584 (before dividend tax)
🇦🇪 DUBAI (UAE)
📌Payroll Costs:
- Net salaries: €25,200 per employee
- No employer social contributions (except 12.5% pension for Emirati nationals – not applicable to foreigners)
- Total payroll cost: 50.400€
📌 Corporate Taxation:
- Εταιρικός φόρος: 9% (ισχύει από Ιούνιο 2023)
- Υπολογισμός: 9% * (100.000 – 50.400) = 4.464€
✅ Net Profit After Taxes:
100.000 – 50.400 – 4.464 = 45.136€
🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM (UK)
📌Payroll Costs:
- Net salaries: €25,200 per employee
- Taxes + NIC (Employee & Employer): approx. 41% additional to achieve €1,800 net/month
- Total payroll cost per person ≈ €35,500 → for 2 employees = €71,000
📌 Corporate Taxation:
- Corporate tax: 25% for profits > £50,000
- Calculation: 25% * (100,000 – 71,000) = 7.250€
✅ Net Profit After Taxes:
100.000 – 71.000 – 7.250 = 21.750€
✅Comparative Table
| Parameter | 🇬🇷 Greece | 🇦🇪 Dubai | 🇬🇧 UK |
| Payroll Cost (2 employees) | 67.200€ | 50.400€ | 71.000€ |
| Corporate Tax | 7.216€ | 4.464€ | 7.250€ |
| Net Profit (after tax) | 25.584€ | 45.136€ | 21.750€ |
| Dividend Tax (if any) | +5% | 0% | 0% |
| Overall Tax Burden | Υψηλή | Low | Medium |
📌 Key Takeaways:
- ✈️ Dubai is clearly the most tax-efficient (9% flat rate, 0% dividend tax, low payroll costs).
- 🇬🇷 Greece has improved, but the combination of employer contributions and corporate tax leads to a high overall burden.
- 🇬🇧 The UK remains attractive mainly for reinvestment purposes (e.g., through holding structures).
Nikos Karamanos
CFO | Co-Founder | Tax Advisor at AFS
👉Curious how these numbers would affect your business?
Each country has its own opportunities and challenges. If you are considering tax planning, international expansion, or simply want to see which scenario works best for your case, fill out the form and one of our consultants will get in touch with you.
