Yesterday, in Parliament, the Minister of Finance, Renganaden Padayachy, presented the Finance (Miscellaneous) Provisions Bill. This bill will give legal force to the measures contained in the 2021-2022 budget. From the beginning of his speech, the Minister of Finances pointed out that this bill revolves around four axes: revive the investment, review the taxation system, counter the fallout of the Covid-19 and restore confidence. In fact, the Bill comes to amend 93 existing laws of the country and amongst others, the Workers’ Rights Act. It introduces the concept of conciliation to the Redundancy Board and gives an employer thirty days instead of fifteen days to justify his intention to dismiss before this body.
Failure to provide medical assistance to an employee in the workplace now becomes a crime under this bill. Also, the Finance Bill introduces the Light Rail Fare, where the employer will be required to provide an allowance in this regard for those who travel by metro-express. The Finance Minister also pointed out that the Sugar Tax will be introduced on sugar-based products from July 2022.
In another announcement in the Finance Bill, the Minister stated that the financial support of an employee, who is on the Transitional Unemployment Benefit and who refuses a job offer three times, will be removed. The Finance Minister also stated that accredited private laboratories will be allowed to test food. On the subject of horse racing, the Finance Minister said that a Horse Racing Division will be created. This will be headed by a committee whose members will be recruited by the GRA.
The committee will be appointed by the GRA Board and the head of the Horse Racing Division will be the chairman. The duties of the committee are set out in the bill. The horse racing organizer will now be responsible for a number of steps in race planning and race day operations. The GRA Act is also amended to allow the operator of the Mauritius National Lottery to conduct lottery games and lottery by remote communication; allow the conduct of digital games by a casino operator, a gaming house operator and a limited pay machine operator; empower the GRA Board to take disciplinary action against its licensees for not complying with the anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing and proliferation guidelines issued by the GRA, said the Finance Minister in his speech.
Regarding the opening of the economy, the Minister of Finance mentioned several facilities that will be granted to foreign nationals who wish to settle in the country. This bill entitles a non-citizen to hold the status of resident provided that he or she buys or acquires an apartment of at least 375,000 USD as a residence in a building of at least 2 floors above the first floor, he said. He also said that anyone who employs a foreign worker illegally will be considered as a criminal offense.
