Mauritius performed very respectably in the Index, being only one of four new entrants in the Index to jump into the top 25 countries, well ahead Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal and even South Africa. Mauritius received a particularly very positive ranking on the financial cost and business environment categories.

Some of the most salient reasons to invest via Mauritius:

• Efficiently regulated Financial Services Industry guaranteeing more safety to Investors being more protected from drastic impacts of an International market crisis;

• Low Corporate Tax Jurisdiction (can sum up to 3% only in the Global Business (Offshore) Sector;No restriction on 100% Foreign Ownership;

• No Capital Gains Tax;

• Free repatriation of Profits, Dividend and Capital;

• Access to Offshore Banking Facilities

• Stable Geopolitical Location;

• Highly qualified and low cost labour Force;

• Strategic Positioning and openness to the rest of the World; Preferential Market Access to the European Union and the United States; Reliable Sea and Air connection;

• 5% Registration duty on purchase of land and buildings for industrial Purposes;

• World Bank Doing Business survey 2008 ranks Mauritius 27th out of 178 countries;

• Mauritius is ranked 22nd out of 141 countries by the Fraser Institute Economic Freedom Index 2007.

• Mauritius ranks the 25th position, well ahead of our major off shoring competitors in the latest AT Kearney Global Services Location Index report.

The AT Kearney Global Services Location Index analyses the top 50 services locations worldwide against a balanced set of measurements in three categories: Cost (40%), people (30%) and business environment (30%).  The AT Kearney Index is recognized globally as the reference benchmark index used by all major multinationals and global consultancy firms for assessing country attractiveness for service off shoring. 

Since last year, BOI has witnessed a growing demand from potential investors for detailed benchmark indicators on country attractiveness and sophisticated business proposals.  As part of our promotional initiatives, the Board of Investment started liaising with the consultancy group to allow Mauritius to be put on the global off shoring map.

Reflecting the growing number of countries competing to establish themselves as remote services locations, ten new countries have been added to this year’s Index – the three Baltic States and Ukraine in Eastern Europe, Sri Lanka and Pakistan in South Asia, Uruguay in Latin America, and Morocco, Senegal, and Mauritius, further expanding the Index’s coverage of francophone locations.

Traditional locations in developed countries (Singapore, Canada, Philippines and Australia) all fell in the rankings to the profit of emerging markets. 

The report clearly stated that “the rise of  Mauritius… reflects growing interest in locations with the ability to serve francophone markets.  Stronger business environments in Mauritius … contends with lower costs and larger populations in Morocco and Senegal.”    

This international index conducted by a prestigious independent institution like AT Kearney will certainly prove to become a major promotional tool for positioning Mauritius on the global screen of multinationals.  The Board of Investment will continue working with AT Kearney and the major local stakeholders to improve this ranking for next year.

Ranking for the Global Services Location Index