Tax to help the more vulnerable

The initiative is laudable. Mauritius has accepted to apply a tax of international solidarity on its air tickets to help poor countries. However, the amount of the tax and the date of its application have not been settled yet. Air Mauritius says it will support the initiative as long as it doesn?t become dissuasive for travellers. But the minister of Finance, Rama Sithanen, appears confident that the tax will not have a negative impact on tourism. ?I believe all European countries that constitute tourist markets for Mauritius will be applying the tax as from next year.? This tax on air tickets is among the activities undertaken by the international community to help poor countries more specifically in the fields of health and education.

New shopping mall in Phoenix

A new commercial area will be set up in Phoenix. The Halles will include a food court, offices and a shopping centre where middle and top range products will be sold to attract tourists and Mauritians. ?We want to encourage tourists to do shopping in Mauritius. They will be given the opportunity to buy labelled clothes and the value added tax will then be reimbursed,? explains the general manager of the Property Development Business Unit of the group Currimjee Jeewanjee, Tanvir Adamjee. The project will cost Rs 300 million and should be ready in August 2007.

Voile d?Or Hotel on sale

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud has shown a growing interest in the hotel industry in Mauritius. After being a partner of Ciel in the integrated resort scheme of Beau Champ, Anahita, he now wants to take over the five-star hotel Voile d?Or in Bel-Ombre. The State Investment Corporation and the National Equity Fund are about to end negotiations for their shares in the hotel. Shares of the main promoter, Bhunjun and Sons, should also be sold in the near future.

Police leave loopholes?

Five years after Vanessa Lagesse?s dead body was found in her bathtub, the preliminary enquiry is still going on? And for good reason! Last week, it was revealed that the police may have not seen everything on the scene of the crime on 10th March 2001. While the magistrate was looking at a camera discovered in the victim?s bathroom cabinet in court, he realised there was a film inside which the police had simply? not seen. The magistrate promised that he would order the police to develop the film in due course. Moreover, Myriam Jendrzok, a German woman, was not so far from the house when the crime occurred. After making a statement to the police, she was allowed to fly back to her homeland without the police even thinking of taking her prints.