Mauritian Budget 2017 : end of a benign tax regime?

The Motto of Mauritius is "Many People - One Nation"  yes it may seem bad to tax the high income earners but they are probably like most countries a small percentage of the working population.  However when you look perhaps at the demographics of these high earners are they not the CEO's and senior management of companies and also probably the list would include many actually in government.  So would a government devise a plan to effectively tax each minister in power and those friends of the government who run the big companies here that help sustain the economy.  I can see many of the top lawyers and accountants getting more business as there will be ways to avoid this tax as there are in other countries. But the people of this nation always have a choice its called the Ballot Box and when the next election comes around instead of voting the same few back into power again despite your anger at their decisions and policies you have the right to vote for alternatives etc.

The wealth tax as you called it is actually known as the 'solidarity levy' and has been introduced twice in the past and later removed.

However whether it had any impact on the state's coffers is another story. Today, this levy concerns only about 4,000 people on the island and the estimated net revenues it will bring is only around MUR 200 million.

Regarding this budgetary measure, it's also interesting to note that bank interests will be left out. With the large number of loopholes in the financial sector, it will be a child's play for accountants and tax specialists to lessen or even negate the impact of this measure in many cases.

On another note, while there is an urgent need to address the burning issues of wealth gaps and social inequalities, you do have a point in that the government is in dire need of money, in large part due to their many reckless and ill-advised policies and decisions.

Moreover, due to possible anticipated general elections around the corner, many of the decisions in the last budget do carry a varying dose of populism.

However, as of now, all these remain as budgetary announcements and like it's the case every year, a majority of the measures will miss the implementation phase.

The coming weeks/months will no doubt shed more light on whether the plethora of measures will be implemented or whether the current govt will even be still in power to implement them.

You are assuming there is a better choice of candidate to vote for. Unfortunately, the populace is in no position to make an informed decision. You need an honest person at the top, and they are unlikely to win a vote because people prefer a nice story to reality.
Barry