Mauritius Duty Free Island, the priority of Finance Minister

The minister of finance has yesterday sternly emphasized his willingness to transform Mauritius into a duty free island.

At the launch of the real estate project, of Grand Bay, La Croisette, Domaine Pailles, the minister of finance has said that he wishes to reaffirm his determination and his belief that Mauritius should become a Duty Free Shopping Paradise Island and a physical infrastructure with a high class standard.

The project "Duty Free Isalnd" will eventually attract more than 2 million tourists a year. Mauritius will then become a shopping destination for tourists and for the region. While referring to his Budget Speech of 2005 - 2006, five years ago, the finance minister has explained that the Duty Free Island was not simply a reduction of tariffs, but a concept of socio-economic destined to become an economic pillar of Mauritius. Instead, a new economic area will be created and the additional volume of activities will be generated to largely compensate the shortfall.

The Minister pointed out that if Mauritius wants to look like Singapore and Dubai, it must have modern transport infrastructure. For him, the light rail is a prerequisite for development of the country.