Road Tax
Eliminate discriminatory policy. The same amount of road tax should be applied to the same type of vehicle, irrespective of the status of the owner. Currently, certain categories of owners pay a preferential rate which is up to 60% less than normal rate. This is unfair, unjust and against principle of equality. Protectionism should be eliminated and standard rate be applied. It is unfair to protect some and make others pay. For example, for owners of dual purpose vehicles, certain categories pay Rs 3,500 whilst the rest pay Rs 8,000. An ideal rate would be a standard Rs 5,000 for all. The whole r0oad tax structure should be reviewed. Government could increase its road tax revenues by imposing much higher rates on gas guzzling vehicles.

Special Levy on IRS Villas
According to the Finance Minister, tax revenue from corporate tax has exceeded expectation despite a cut in tax rate to 15%. To finance social development, government should find sources of financing other than taxation so as not to overburden taxpayers. Government should identify potential cash cows. For example the IRS sector. Admission to paradise is not free. Devotees of all religions lead a life full of sacrifice in order to attain salvation and paradise. Over the world, Mauritius is renowned as a paradise, a safe haven with political and ethnic stability, free from severe natural calamities or terrorism. People are queuing to come and settle here. We no longer need to promote our country as an ideal place to relocate. Currently, as per the last budget, IRS promoters are required to contribute Rs 200,000 per villa sold to a social fund as part of corporate responsibility. What does Rs 200,000 represent today? Government could have imposed a special levy of at least Rs 1.5 million per villa! Multiply this by 5,000 villas and you get a total contribution of 7.5 billions, which is enough to build 2 more reservoirs, one dream bridge at Caudan, one new power plant, conversion of the Pamplemousses-Grand Bay motorway into a dual carriage way, and funding for empowerment fund and other social housing and education programme as well as consumption subsidies. This is a unique opportunity to raise massive revenues without targeting the pocket of the consumer through taxes and TVA. Just imagine, a luxury villa on a piece of Mauritian paradise is being sold at a paltry USD 1 million, which is peanuts compared to prices of luxury villas abroad. Paradise is being sold at the price of slum. Even a small rundown tenement in Central London is sold at twice or three times the price of an IRS villa . Villas kilometers away from the beach in favourite Spanish locations and other places such as Monaco, Barbados, etc are being sold at 5 to 10 times the price of a Mauritian beach villa! A 1.5 million rupees levy on a Rs 40 million villa represents nothing, and buyers will still buy the villas! The Mauritian population will be the winner. If the levy is 3 million rupees, at least 15 billions will be raised! Instead of milking the fat cows, we are wasting time with NRPT and other taxes affecting the common man. Come on, Mr Sithanen, don't be short sighted, target that gold mine!

Public Transport
However much subsidies are pumped into the system and bus fare hike demands are agreed to, the system will never be efficient. We have a totally fragmented system and the Bus Individuel system no longer responds to the needs of modern Mauritius. Why are so many people using private motoring to go to work? Why are so many people preferring to use motor bikes? It is because the public transport system is unreliable and costly. Scrap the bus individual system, introduce a pass system that allows unlimited travel and bus changes and rework all routes according to passenger density. By eliminating and/or condensing duplicating routes (for example a single route between Port Louis and Terre Rouge and between Port Louis and Coromandel), there will be no need for the Victoria Bus station and the Gare du Nord. The number of buses coming to port Louis will reduce considerably. Currently all buses come to lie idle in Port Louis and this is costly and inefficient. We don't need international batchiaras to come and tell us what we should do. Mauritians are intelligent and competent enough to devise a home solution. We don't need to carbon copy overseas systems, rather we can use their ideas and then create our own system. Six months are enough for the general overhaul of the public transport system. Without a complete reshaking, the bus lane and other measures are doomed for failure. Before pumping more money in this sector, clear out the mess first.

Road Congestion
No need to wait for big projects such as dream bridge, link road, etc. Small structural adjustments will make big improvement in the interim. Identify bottleneck and devise appropriate solutions. Any big project will not yield expected result unless the whole congestion problem is tacked globally: Decentralisation, online services, improved public transport system, mini tunnels and fly overs (e.g at la Tour Koenig junction, Petite Riviere junction, Cassis junction on he motorway,etc). Review of certain decisions already taken. For example, relocation of police headquarters to La Tour Koenig is a disaster! The area is already heavily congested and La Tour Koenig is an enclave. Alternative sites to be found. Rethinking of road directions in Port Louis: The existing plan dates back to independence! A complete audit of Port Louis streets and change of traffic directions will have a surprising result! Again, no need for expensive international experts to come and tell us what we should do.

Poverty Reduction
One of the reasons why people at the bottom of the social ladder are struggling to make ends meet is that too many people pay too many fines at our district courts. Most offences are benign but poor people are easily trapped whilst rich people are able to get away with it. Visit any district court and look at the type of people who are fined. When a man is fined, it is his family who suffers. A fine means less money to spend on wife and children welfare. It is time to do away with fines for poor people and instead impose community service.

Hope he will take time to read these comments!!!
Well Sir,
I had a copy of an article in le defi in the year 2000 (I've lost it unfortunately) making reference to the prices of basic commodities used daily in 1995 compared to 2000. As far as I remembered, most of them had a rise of about 100%, for example, potatoes which cost around Rs 3.50 turned to Rs 7.00 lbs.
Well I think the same thing will happen this term even if we are not yet at the end of 5 yrs. Here's a few example:
Commodity Price in 2005 Price in 2008 (Approximately)
Milk Rs 100/kg Rs 200/kg
Oil Rs 20 lt Rs 40 lt
Potatoes Rs 7-8 Rs 12-15
Onion Rs 7-8 Rs 15-20
Electricity around 50% more
Rice (Basmati) Rs 300-400 Rs 700-800 (Pocket)
Flour Rs 350 Rs 700+
Chicken Rs 20/lbs Rs 40-50 /lbs
Mine apollo Rs 3-4 Rs 8-9
Dhol Puri Rs 3-4 Rs 8-9
Fertilizers Rs 300-400 Rs 800-1200 (pocket)
Ciment ~Rs 140 ~Rs 200
Electrical Wires Rs 300-400 Rs 1000+ (coil single core)
Pulses Rs 7-8 Rs 15-20
VAT 15% 15%
Corporate Tax 22% 15% (not for small people!)
Salary Rs x Rs x + 535 (135+400!)


The list is very long! All these couples with a salary compesation of RS 135, 400 while inflation is around 10%?
Dont come tell me now that these are all due to external factors!

Well i dont think that the govt is going to really consider wat the population is going to tell him. It is very sad to know that the Honourable is asking for advise from the local population. If he really want to help us tell the honourable Minister to go to people who are in a better place to advise him and take decision not to make the poor poorer as we are expecting something from him.

I think that everyone will ask to make life easier as far as the basic commodities are concerned. But i will say that the Minister have to take decisions that is in the interest of the Economy as a whole.

Finally i would say we are not in a place to advice you please go to independent firms that can really do it at a cheaper cost for us.