2010年-世界发展银行全球_Enterprise_Surveys___Mauritius_Country_Profile_2009_15页_1mb

Mauritius Country Profile 2009 Summary

Core Content Overview

The Mauritius Country Profile 2009 is part of the Enterprise Surveys conducted by the World Bank and its International Finance Corporation (IFC). These surveys aim to evaluate the business environment and its impact on firm productivity, performance, and growth. The data collected provides insights into various aspects such as infrastructure, trade, regulations, taxes, corruption, crime, informality, finance, innovation, and workforce characteristics.

Main Topics Covered

1. Business Environment Obstacles

• The business environment in Mauritius is assessed against the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region and the Upper middle income group.
• The top business environment obstacles include:
  • Corruption and informal payments.
  • Regulatory and licensing delays.
  • Inefficient infrastructure services.
• These obstacles affect firm productivity and competitiveness.

2. Average Firm Characteristics

• The average firm in Mauritius has an age of 15.5 years.
• Female participation in management is not reported (N/A).
• Female participation in ownership is 16.9%.
• Ownership composition:
  • Private Domestic: 81.5%
  • Private Foreign: 8.3%
  • Government/State: 0.0%
  • Other: 10.2%

Key Indicators and Analysis

3. Infrastructure

• Electricity:
  • Number of power outages per month: 3.2
  • Value lost due to power outages (% of sales): 2.2
  • Delay in obtaining an electrical connection: 18.6 days
• Water Supply:
  • Number of water shortages per month: 12.3
  • Average duration of water shortage (hours): 6.0
  • Delay in obtaining a water connection: 30.0 days
• Telephone:
  • Delay in obtaining a mainline telephone connection: 38.6 days

4. Trade

• Exporter firms account for 14.6% of firms.
• Use of foreign material inputs/supplies: 56.5%
• Average time to clear direct exports through customs: 10.3 days
• Average time to clear imports through customs: 9.8 days
• Losses during direct export due to theft: 0.4%
• Losses during direct export due to breakage or spoilage: 0.3%

5. Regulations, Taxes, and Business Licensing

• Days to obtain an import license: 22.7 days
• Days to obtain a construction-related permit: 72.0 days
• Days to obtain an operating license: 19.1 days
• Senior management time spent dealing with government regulation: 9.4%
• Average number of visits to tax officials: 0.5
• Legal forms:
  • Open shareholding company: 0.9%
  • Closed shareholding company: 33.0%
  • Sole proprietorship: 54.6%
  • Partnership: 7.9%
  • Limited partnership: 0.5%
  • Other: 1.7%

6. Corruption

• Graft Index (proportion of firms asked to pay bribes for six public services): 3.6
• Gifts in meetings with tax inspectors: 0.3%
• Gifts to secure a government contract: 8.8%
• Gifts to get a construction permit: 15.9%
• Gifts to get an import license: 0.9%
• Gifts to get an operating license: 0.0%

7. Crime and Informality

• Firms believing court system is fair: 63.6%
• Security costs (% of sales): 2.1%
• Losses due to theft, robbery, vandalism, arson: 1.4%
• Formal registration at start of operations: 84.2%
• Informality prevalence: 15.8% (based on firms not formally registered)

8. Finance

• Internal finance for investment: 51.9%
• Bank finance for investment: 30.8%
• Trade credit for investment: 1.5%
• Equity, sale of stock for investment: 0.0%
• Other finance for investment: 15.8%
• External working capital financing: 35.8%
• Collateral needed for a loan (% of loan amount): 59.9%
• Firms with bank loans/lines of credit: 47.4%
• Firms with checking or savings accounts: 97.2%

9. Innovation and Workforce

• Internationally recognized quality certification: 11.1%
• Annual financial statement reviewed by external auditor: 59.4%
• Use of own website: 35.9%
• Use of email for communication: 69.3%
• Average number of temporary workers: 1.6
• Average number of permanent, full-time workers: 38.2
• % of full-time female workers: 30.1%

Key Findings

• Corruption and informal payments are significant challenges in Mauritius, though lower than the regional average.
• Regulatory and licensing delays are a major concern, especially for construction-related permits.
• Infrastructure issues, particularly electricity and water, pose a moderate challenge, but less severe than in other regions.
• Trade activity is relatively high, with a significant portion of firms using foreign inputs.
• Finance is more accessible compared to the regional average, with a high percentage of firms using bank financing.
• Innovation and workforce diversity are below the regional and income group averages, indicating room for improvement.

Conclusion

The Enterprise Surveys highlight that while Mauritius has a relatively favorable business environment compared to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Upper middle income group, there are still challenges related to corruption, regulations, infrastructure, and innovation. These findings are essential for policymakers and researchers to understand the factors influencing firm performance and to design targeted reforms that enhance the business environment and promote sustainable development.