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What are the review of Mauritius for moving for tax purpose as no tax if not remit here?

troubled soul

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Aug 23, 2020
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What are the pro and cons of moving to Mauritius for tax saving ??
Income derived from outside Mauritius is taxable only to the extent that it is received in Mauritius.
Has anyone have experience on this ???

Thanks
 
What are the pro and cons of moving to Mauritius for tax saving ??
An obvious pro is a relatively low flat tax of 15% which is the same for personal and company income. No obligatory social and health insurance levies.
Income derived from outside Mauritius is taxable only to the extent that it is received in Mauritius.
Has anyone have experience on this ???
two years ago I discussed this with local lawyer oriented to expats and their taxation

I was told that Mauritian tax residents are taxed on their world wide income and (in my case) non-existent DTT can easily result in double taxation since they don't care about remittance at all

of course it's challenging for local tax man to find out what you earn aboard and where you're keeping it but it changes nothing about the fact that you're liable

I was also warned that my foreign company could be easily tax liable in Mauritius if I spend there some time as a tourist (6 months a year is maximum) and it can be proven that I was making business decisions during this time remotely :D

no guarantees, just sharing the knowledge i got
 
An obvious pro is a relatively low flat tax of 15% which is the same for personal and company income. No obligatory social and health insurance levies.

two years ago I discussed this with local lawyer oriented to expats and their taxation

I was told that Mauritian tax residents are taxed on their world wide income and (in my case) non-existent DTT can easily result in double taxation since they don't care about remittance at all

of course it's challenging for local tax man to find out what you earn aboard and where you're keeping it but it changes nothing about the fact that you're liable

I was also warned that my foreign company could be easily tax liable in Mauritius if I spend there some time as a tourist (6 months a year is maximum) and it can be proven that I was making business decisions during this time remotely :D

no guarantees, just sharing the knowledge i got
Yes, it seems only good for retired people over 50.

CFC rules and some added tax for high income earners mean headache.
 
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disagree many friends of mine moved there and i high probably will end there too.
If you have the right structur you pay max tax 15% or even zero if you are smart enough.
Food cost is high there compared to other destinations
Hard covid measures is a negative
however you can achieve citizenship of mauritius which is in my eyes a way way underrated one
and more important once you become tax resident you need only to stay 90 days a year or 180 days in two years to keep it.
 
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disagree many friends of mine moved there and i high probably will end there too.
If you have the right structur you pay max tax 15% or even zero if you are smart enough.
Food cost is high there compared to other destinations
Hard covid measures is a negative
however you can achieve citizenship of mauritius which is in my eyes a way way underrated one
and more important once you become tax resident you need only to stay 90 days a year or 180 days in two years to keep it.
Out of curiosity, are you from Europe?
The only people I know who moved to Mauritius or Seychelles are from South Africa and India. All Europeans seem to look no further than Dubai.

ability to receive citizenship after 2 years
non dom
0-15% tax
passport to all important regions on the world
not considered a tax heaven
1 mio vs 100k citizens
hub to africa
strong ties to india.
better infrstructur
4 times as big as seychellles
security
What about real estate? I could not find anything much interesting and prices are quite high. It seems that all the decent options are inside resorts.
 
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once you become tax resident you need only to stay 90 days a year or 180 days in two years to keep it.
it's worth noting that you can become tax resident immediately - it's allegedly enough to register yourself as a self-employed person in Mauritius - beware of very limited number of DTTs Maurities has signed with other countries though

another fun fact is that you become (involuntarily) a Mauritian tax resident by spending 270 days in last three years - in other words every year 90 days of regular tourist stay for three years... nice tourist trap that was there 3 years ago (not sure how about now though)

Why one should choose Mauritius instead of Seychelles?
Seychelles are way way more expensive and way too small for permanent stay
 
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What about real estate? I could not find anything much interesting and prices are quite high. It seems that all the decent options are inside resorts.
there are several restriction regarding ownership of properties - you can google the rules easily - long story short a foreigner can own a house only in gated communities and locations approved by the government and you end up in a prison like area behind the wall and electric fence (for you own protection of course ;))
 
there are several restriction regarding ownership of properties - you can google the rules easily - long story short a foreigner can own a house only in gated communities and locations approved by the government and you end up in a prison like area behind the wall and electric fence (for you own protection of course ;))
exactly. and this at a 3x cost for getting something similar as locals.

It is good then in the next lockdown they so eagerly followed you are already locked for your own protection. ;)
 
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there are several restriction regarding ownership of properties - you can google the rules easily - long story short a foreigner can own a house only in gated communities and locations approved by the government and you end up in a prison like area behind the wall and electric fence (for you own protection of course ;))
Enough for me to rule out Mauritius as a possible place to live
 
Out of curiosity, are you from Europe?
The only people I know who moved to Mauritius or Seychelles are from South Africa and India. All Europeans seem to look no further than Dubai.


What about real estate? I could not find anything much interesting and prices are quite high. It seems that all the decent options are inside resorts.
yes europe.my friends moved from luxembourg to mauritius and you are right i would not buy any RE in mauritius.

citizienship after 2 years is HIGHLY unlikely.
2 years with investment
5 years without

there are several restriction regarding ownership of properties - you can google the rules easily - long story short a foreigner can own a house only in gated communities and locations approved by the government and you end up in a prison like area behind the wall and electric fence (for you own protection of course ;))
your properties as a non citizen are limited correct even it changed a bit now but you are not limited in renting and security in mauritius is good which doesn't mean you can't live in a closed community if you wish
but as i said i'm not interrested in RE there.I'm interrested in tax residency,citizenship and renting.
Who would buy currently RE in overpriced regions when interest are going up.I prefer to invest somewhere else to have higher yield and be mobil

What is also important for me which JohnnyDoes location seems not to support is the fact that i will be also able to invest legaly in eastern/southeastern businesses which in my opinion will be key markets
africa/russia/southeast asia

With a mauritius passport for example you can travel nearly everywhere with no visa
 
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