In order to stimulate the import of ICT products and boost their adoption in the country to stimulate the socio-economic development of populations, the Mauritian government signed the ministerial declaration on trade in information technology products (ATI). Officially launched in December 1996 by 29 participants at the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) held in Singapore, this declaration aims at the exemption of customs duties on a certain number of ICT products.
We are talking about photocopiers, parts and accessories word processing machines, sound recording machine, electronic circuits, medical instruments, electrical measuring devices, computer equipment and peripherals, phones and tablets , telecommunications equipment, software, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, analytical instruments, electronic components, and many other products.
In July 2015, after 17 rounds of negotiations, the declaration on trade in ICT products was enriched with an additional list of 201 products exempt from customs duties. These products have been added with regard to technological progress.
According to the WTO, annual trade in the 201 products added to the ATI declaration is estimated at more than $ 1.3 trillion and represents around 7% of total world trade today.
Source: www.agenceecofin.com
Leave a Reply