Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa March 2014 | Page 57

12

OFFSHORE

reasons to invest in property in Mauritius

1. Convenient time zone

2. Climate

3. Secure and little crime

Mauritius has a convenient time zone for doing
business with UK -4 hours while Asia is +4 hours
and SA is -2 hours difference.

It has a near perfect climate. Coastal
temperatures vary between 22 degrees
in winter and 34 degrees in summer.

Personal safety and low crime rates
make it desirable to live.
To i l l u s t r a t e t h e i n t e n t i o n a l
homicide rate per 100 000 people
in Africa average = 17; US = 4.8; Asia
= 3.1; Mauritius = 2.5; UK = 1.2
(Source: United Nations Office for
Drugs & Crime, 2012)

12. Well-developed infrastructure
Healthcare is well developed and has grown. For example in
2006 there were 1 000 foreign patients and in 2012 there were
21 346 foreign patients.

4. World-class offshore investment hub

11. No language barriers

For both private and commercial segments of
the international market ideally positioned for
Africa and Asia.

Official Language is English however
French and Creole are commonly used.
There are 178 secondary schools; 69
tertiary institutions and an estimated
2 000 foreign students in 2013.

5. Political stability
Mauritius has a stable political
and social stabilit y and proven
jurisdiction for over 45 years. Its
employment rate at 92.9% and
literacy rate is 89.8%
(source: M auritian M inis tr y of
Education 2011)

10. High growth property market
The real estate market is in a youthful
phase but is growing steadily some
delivering returns of 40% – 50% on IRS
properties.

6. Economic growth
Mauritius has a GDP growth at 5- 6%
year-on-year and has been resilient in
the economic downturn still showing
positive GDP grow th. Its economy is
diversified and contribution to GDP:
Manufacturing 17%
Real Estate & Property 13%
Wholesale & Retail 12%
Financial 10%
Logistics 9%
Hospitality 7%
Construction 6%
Agro-Industry 4%
Other industries combined 21%

9. Integrated Resorts Scheme (IRS)
This allows foreigners to buy and own full
title property in Mauritius. This modern
le gislation and ef fe c tive re gulation
protects rights of property owners.

8. Strong tourism growth
There are over one million visitors to Mauritius
and the government plans to aim for over two
million tourists in 2015

7. Attractive taxation and investment
policies
The financial services sector has emerged
strongly of fering a range of incentives
both to local and international investors
-a flat 15% corporate tax and 15% personal
tax (no hidden taxes).

In our next edition we will be covering the competitive platform that
Mauritius offers as well as the processes in a business start-up, getting
residency, acquiring land and property as well as moving capital in out
of Mauritius.
RESOURCES
ENL Group, Hayes Matkovich

www.reimag.co.za

REALE ESTATE BUSINESS DIRECTORY

March 2014 SA Real Estate Investor

55