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Why Use Mauritius? Mauritius is NOT a "rock economy" like so many other offshore jurisdictions. It is a "real" country with a "real" economy and a population of over 1.2 million people. Mauritius has a longstanding history of international trade, finance and business and, as it is an island, the "mind set" of the population is inevitably one of an international outlook. To develop, it must look outwards. The economic restructuring of the Mauritius economy over the past two decades has established international recognition of the country as a premier quality offshore financial centre which enjoys a stable and forward-thinking political, and economic environment, and for the last decade, economic growth has averaged 6% per annum. Whilst English is the official language of government and is spoken fluently, French is widely used from government downwards. The economy has seen recent phases of development which successfully prepared the country for the 21st century. Mauritius had been a monocrop economy for many years, utilising the Lome Convention relating to sugar prices to establish itself as a world-recognised sugar producer, and although this remains the pillar industry of the Mauritius economy, forward-thinking and planning has introduced strategic development. In the 1970's export processing zones were introduced which established the textile industry. In the 1980's the tourist sector of the economy was established which has now developed such that Mauritius is now seen as one of the top destinations for five star international resort hotels. In the 1990's the offshore sector was established after careful consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of other offshore jurisdictions. Mauritius has achieved a unique blend of offshore jurisdiction, building from its 26+ double tax treaties (some of which have been in existence since 1980) and adding to this structure a judicious supplement of specialist offshore legislation, enabling corporate and commercial clients to access the benefits of double tax treaties for investment purposes, and, at the same time, attracting private client arrangements outside the European Union. This, together with an expansive framework of fiscal incentives, established trade, banking and legal institutions and an efficient telecommunications infrastructure, combines to produce a first class international financial and business services centre with banking, tax, trust, commercial and financial confidentiality guaranteed by law. Additional benefits of Mauritius as an offshore financial and business centre are its location as a key trading link between the world's major economies, its special economic (note, NOT political) relations with the European Union and the 21-Nation Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and, not least, its extremely competitive service costs. Mauritius therefore offers the following:
These pieces of carefully-crafted new legislation have been designed to set Mauritius on the road to further expansion in the next decade, and, despite the uncertainty being felt in many offshore jurisdictions, Mauritius’ future is secure.  Corporate & Chancery Chambers | 7th Floor New Caudan, Dias Pier, Le Caudan Waterfront, Port Louis, Mauritius Tel: +230 210 3187 Fax: +230 210 1109 Email: chancery@chancerygroup.org |
