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Mauritius at a glance |
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Geography and Climate
Mauritius, an idyllic small island covering 1,865 square
kilometers is situated some 2,000 kilometres off the south east
coast of Africa.The beaches, which are a trademark of the country,
provide a unique blend of natural beauty and provides the right
mix for business and pleasure. Mauritius is well connected globally
and offers a window of opportunities for foreigners wishing
to establish viable investment projects on the island. Under
such business-friendly environment, Mauritius is poised to become
an international business hub in the Indian Ocean region.
History
Mauritius marks a crossroad of global trade. Colonised by the Dutch, French and English in turn, with a history heavily influenced by India, Africa and China, Mauritius has a multi cultural and cosmopolitan population of about 1.2 million inhabitants.
Government & Political System
Mauritius is a presidential democracy modeled on the British parliamentary system, which guarantees the separation of the legislative, executive and judicial powers. Democracy is well entrenched in Mauritius and all major political parties are represented in Parliament.
Legal System
The Republic of Mauritius, member of the Commonwealth, has
a hybrid legal system combining both civil and common law practices.
While private law is largely based on the Napoleonic Code, public
and administrative laws draw essentially from English Common
law.
Concept of Income Tax
The taxation of income of both companies and individuals is
governed by the Income Tax Act 1995 which is substantially based
on UK tax law. Mauritius has a global system of taxation as
opposed to a schedular system. Under this system, income from
all sources is added up and the appropriate tax rate or rates
are applied after reckoning all allowable deductions and exemptions.
For more information please visit the MRA site on
http://mra.gov.mu.
Economic Overview
The economy has remained strong and is now characterized
by a thriving export led manufacturing sector, a sophisticated
sugar producing agricultural sector, an upmarket tourism sector,
a modern freeport and a fast expanding financial services sector.
The Mauritian Government is investing massively in the Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, with the setting
up of state-of-the-art technology park, that will transform
the country into an ideal destination for BPO, BCP and IT enabled
services.
Factsheet
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Capital
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Port Louis |
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Land Area |
1,865 km2 |
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Population Workforce |
541,000 |
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Literacy rate |
90% |
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Currency |
Mauritian Rupee (Rs) Exchange rate: US$1 = Rs
30.00 |
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GDP per capita
(2008) |
US$
6,100 |
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GDP
growth rate (2008) |
5.2% |
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Inflation rate
(2009) |
7% |
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Government |
Westminster Model |
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Our Strong Points
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Political and Social Stability |
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Strong governmental support to the Financial Services Sector |
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State of the art communication facilities |
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Preferential access to regional markets |
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Highly literate and adaptable labour force |
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Pool of qualified professionals |
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Growing network of double taxation
avoidance treaties with 32 countries |
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Expanding freeport and offshore business activities |
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International stock exchange |
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No exchange control |
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Convenient time zone (+ GMT 4) |
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Frequent air and sea links |
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Attractive fiscal policies |
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Not on the OECD and FATF black list |
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Availability of modern and reliable infrastructure |
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Pleasant and peaceful living conditions |
In addition to the above, the availability of high bandwidth
connectivity, following the recent implementation of the South
Africa Far East (SAFE) submarine optical fibre communication
cable, has placed Mauritius firmly on the international communication
platform.
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