Resolve Indo-Mauritius Tax Issues to Boost Sentiments: FSC

Indian-origin Rajeshsharma Ramloll, who took charge as Chairperson of Financial Services Commission (FSC) last month, said that a quick resolution of issues related to Indo- Mauritius tax treaty would not only benefit the two nations but also boost investor confidence and ensure certainty.

Amid apprehensions in India that Mauritius is being used for money laundering activities, proposed revisions to the bilateral tax treaty has been hanging fire for a long time.

"The issues relating to the Indo-Mauritius tax treaty need to be resolved quickly. A quick resolution will not only benefit both countries, but also ensure the certainty, clarity and predictability and boost investor confidence... That are much required for both countries," Ramloll told PTI.

Stressing that Mauritius has taken many steps to address India's concerns, Ramloll said the island nation is an economical as well as an efficient route for making investments into India.

He said that Mauritius provides stability, predictability and security for investors besides value added services.

"For this reason, I believe that companies using Mauritius to invest in India do not do so only because of the DTAC (Double Taxation Avoidance Convention) but because Mauritius is a respectable and competitive International Financial Centre providing total packaged financial services," Ramloll said.

Set up in 2001, FSC is the integrated regulator for all non-banking financial services and global business sectors in Mauritius, which has been a major route for foreign investments coming into India.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflows from Mauritius to India touched $78.525 billion during April 2000-March 2014 period.

Besides DTAC, both nations have Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. India has been the largest exporter of goods and services to Mauritius since 2007.

Elaborating on measures in place to address the concerns, he said that more stringent licensing conditions have been put in place to ensure that Indian sourced funds are not re- invested in India through Mauritius to prevent round tripping.

For better exchange of information between the two nations, an Indian Revenue Department officer has been posted at the High Commission in Port Louis, he added.

During his visit here in May, Indian-origin Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam had said the island nation has decided to provide automatic exchange of tax related information with India.