Floods : Port-Louis seeks the parade
The Mauritian capital has once again experienced devastating floods, mid-January, during the passage of cyclone Belal. Public opinion deplores the absence of an alert system, the implementation of which was nevertheless recommended by a Dutch design office in 2015, two years after floods which caused the death of around ten people by drowning. The causes of these climatic events are known : the narrowness of the channels in which rainwater flowing down the mountain flows towards the sea and the increasing artificialization of soils in the city. Considerations are underway to raze certain buildings, and a minister even suggested moving government premises to Côte d’Or, in the central highlands !
IBL in shape
The IBL group recorded a near doubling of its turnover in the second half of 2023, which passed in a year of 27,1 to 52 billion rupees (from approximately 534 million to one billion euros). This meteoric progression is the result of the good health of the conglomerate, but above all its growth strategy beyond the borders of Mauritius, as in Reunion with the acquisition of Run Market. New acquisitions excluded, turnover from IBL’s existing activities increased by 14%. The conglomerate's pre-tax profits also show good growth, at 2,77 billion rupees (53 million euros), against 1,82 billion (36 million euros) the previous year.
Passenger tax increases
An increase in the tax on international passengers came into force on February 14 in Mauritius. Announced mid-2023 but not having been the subject of much communication, the increase was initially to apply from January 13. The formalization of this increase caused an outcry, especially since it applies retroactively, on plane tickets already sold. General discontent led the Mauritian authorities to postpone the increase for a month. The tax (« passenger fee », or “HH” for travel technicians) is expressed in dollars and varies depending on the rate of the American currency. For passengers coming from Reunion and other Indian Ocean islands, it goes from 15 to 26 dollars (of 7,$5 to $13 for children ages 2 to 12). For passengers from Europe, the tax increases from 35 to 60 dollars (of 17,5 to 30 for 2-12 year olds).
35 million euros in Indian aid
Mauritius is one of the top five countries to benefit from Indian generosity, according to the Union's 2024-2025 draft budget presented at the beginning of February. The sister island will receive a total of around 35 million euros in aid from the subcontinent. Bhutan is, from afar, the first country helped by its big neighbor, ahead of the Maldives, Nepal and Burma.
Inflation at 5,2 %
The inflation rate over one year was 5,2% at the end of January, selon Statistics Mauritius. After a decline observed in the last quarter of 2023, prices of everyday consumer products started to rise again in January (+3,2 %). An increase of 6,6% was notably measured on the prices of food products and those of non-alcoholic drinks.
