Further to recent announcements made by the Government with regard to the national confinement, the Mauritian Authorities have subsequently taken a number of proactive measures as described in their communiques, including the following:

Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA)

Penalty and interest waived for late filings

The facilities for the electronic submission of tax returns and electronic payment of any tax due remain available on MRA website (www.mra.mu) and no penalty or interest for late submission/payment will be charged to taxpayers who are unable to submit returns or effect payment of tax in due course.

For any query, you may liaise with your contact person at ITL or send an email on headoffice@mra.mu

Customs:

The core services of MRA Customs are operational in Mauritius and in Rodrigues Island with a skeleton staff to ensure the smooth running of various services including clearance of goods and outgoing passengers. Facilities for the electronic submission of Customs Declarations, including electronic payment of duties and taxes, are available on the Customs Management System.

Wage Assistance Scheme:

The Wage Assistance Scheme (WAS) has been implemented by the Government to ensure that all employees working for companies operating in the private sector and that are adversely affected by the COVID-19 are duly paid their salary for the month of March 2020. Private sector companies may apply for the WAS once the payment of salaries has been made to all employees but it if an employer is facing cash flow issues, he may apply forthwith to the Mauritius Revenue Authority for assistance to pay the salaries for March 2020.

The WAS entitles companies operating in the private sector to receive in respect to its wage bill for the month of March 2020, an amount equivalent to 15 days’ basic wage bill for all of its employees drawing a monthly basic wage of up to MUR 50,000. The refund per employee is subject to a minimum of MUR 4,850 and is capped at MUR 12,500.

The full communiques can be accessed below:

MRA Communique for COVID-19: here

MRA Wage Assistance Scheme: here

Financial Services Commission (FSC)

Flexibility on regulatory filings

In its communique issued on 20 March 2020, the FSC reassured that it will continue to engage with its licensees and market participants primarily via remote technology and ensure smooth running of business. Anticipating the delays that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing, the FSC will also show flexibility towards companies which may face challenges in meeting their forthcoming reporting obligations including regulatory filings. The FSC will consider, on a case to case basis, such measures that may alleviate the immediate regulatory burden for financial institution during these challenging times.

Important updates will be posted on FSC’s website: www.fscmauritius.org

The full communique can be accessed here

Registrar of Companies

Ongoing services for incorporation and filings

The Registrar of Companies (ROC) has issued a communique dated 23 March 2020, declaring that the Corporate and Business Registration Department will maintain its online facilities in respect of online incorporation and online filing. However due to the limited resources presently available, users may experience delays with regard to acknowledgement and approval.

For any query, you may liaise with your usual contact person at ITL.

Stock Exchange of Mauritius (SEM)

Extension of deadline for publication of Financial Statements

The deadline for publishing the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2019, which should have been on 30 March 2020 will be extended by 1 month until 30 April 2020.