Why Invest in Mauritius
Mauritius, an international business centre with a surface area of 1,865 km2, is strategically located in the Indian Ocean, midway between the developing continents of Asia Africa and Australia. Mauritius is a member of the commonwealth and is associated to the EU as ACP member state. It is also a member of common market for eastern and southern Africa (COMESA) and southern African development community (SADC).
Mauritius is a safe and pleasant place to work and live in, where visitors feel welcomed and at home in its multi ethnic, multi racial, multi religious and multi lingual setting. The island offers a unique lifestyle of unsurpassed quality which combines comfort with luxury, with modernity and traditional, and work with pleasure. A wide range of modern facilities and amenities are available at reasonable costs, including quality accommodation, education facilities, shopping complexes and unlimited recreational and sporting facilities.
Mauritius offers a world class education system, with free schooling in public sector up to tertiary levels. Reputed private institutions also offer quality education at primary, secondary and tertiary levels leading to internationally recognized diplomas and degree level awards in academic, vocational as well as professional courses.
Efficient Infrastructure
The success of Mauritius as an investment location to a large extent is founded on the commitment of the government to endow the island with a well developed, reliable and efficient infrastructure with quality support services. Government has invested huge sums for the continuous upgrading and modernization of the overall infrastructural facilities, transport and logistics, sufficient telecommunications, industrial business parks, banking and trade finance and basic public utilities.
The Economic environment
Over the years, Mauritius has emerged as a competitive destination for foreign investment. Investors from major capital exporting countries of the world are successfully doing business with Mauritius many of whom have re-invested in diverse economic activities. The island is today home to over 30,000 foreign companies from all over the world.
Mauritius is now shifting gears to move to a higher stage of economic development. New business opportunities in higher value-added products and services that offer best growth potential have been identified and are being nurtured.
Some of the unique elements that make Mauritius an attractive and competitive investment location include:
- Political, economic, and social stability:
- Pro-business environment, with the government acting as the facilitator and providing professional and personalized service to the investor community,
- A dynamic private sector very receptive to foreign investment and open for joint venture collaborations,
- Preferential market access to the EU (under Cotonou Agreement), USA (under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act-AGOA) and Africa (under COMESA and SADC),
- High level of protection to investors through a wide network of Double Taxation Avoidance Treaties and Investment Promotion & Protection Agreements. Mauritius is also a signatory member to a number of international, regional and bilateral conventions & agreements,
- Close historical, economic and cultural ties with countries on the competitive edge of technology and information society ( India, China, Europe ,Africa and north America ),
- Attractive package of fiscal & non-fiscal incentives and high level facilitation services,
- Ease of doing business for incorporation or registration of a company. One shareholder company, with no minimum capital requirement, is permissible. 100% foreign ownership is also allowed,
- Add to this one of the world's most generous tax regimes, where personal and corporate tax are harmonized at a low 15% and where dividends are tax free.
- A country with no exchange control.
- A country where export-oriented operators enjoy duty-free privilege for their inputs and equipment.
- And Mauritius also has signed non-double taxation agreements with 33 countries so far and is signatory to a number of Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements.
