Mauritanie: Business Environment

Accounting Rules

Tax Year: The fiscal year is the calendar year.
Accounting Standards: Mauritania has a Chart of Accounts but the requirements concering presentation of accounts are not yet very well developed. Mauritanian GAAP are applied.
Accounting Regulation Bodies: Central Mauritanian Bank
Mauritanian Court of Accounts
Accounting Reports: Companies must establish a balance sheet, operating account and profit and loss account. Every year an inventary indicating the expenses and liabilities is established, as well as a profit and loss account.
Publication Requirements: No obligation of publication.
Professional Accountancy Bodies: Mauritanian National Order of Chartered Accountants
Certification and Auditing: Financial statements of all companies must be audited annually by a qualified auditor applying ONECRIM's standards. You can contact an external auditor: BSD & Associés.
Accounting News: IAS Plus
Mauritanian National Order of Chartered Accountants

Nature of the Tax: Value-added Tax (VAT)
Tax Rate: The standard VAT rate is 14%.
Reduced Tax Rate: Exports are not subject to VAT.
Other Consumption Taxes: Consumer taxes applied to imported products and local products are the same. Certain products, notably tobacco, are subject to excise tax in addition to customs duty and VAT.

Company Tax: The corporate tax rate is 25%
Capital Gains Taxation: Capital gains are taxed as a part of income tax.
Other Corporate Taxes: Real property tax, payroll tax, vehicle tax, social security contributions, stamp duty.

	Mauritanie	Sub-Saharan Africa	الولايات المتحدة	Germany
Number of Payments of Taxes per Year	38.0	37.3	11.0	16.0
Time Taken For Administrative Formalities (Hours)	696.0	315.1	187.0	215.0
Total Share of Taxes (% of Profit)	68.4	68.0	46.8	48.2

Source: Doing Business - Last Available Data.

Countries With Whom a Double Taxation Treaty Have Been Signed: See the list of tax conventions proposed by UNCTAD.
Withholding Taxes: Dividends: 10%, Interest: 10%, Royalties: 14%

Tax Authorities: Mauritanian Ministry of Finance
Other Domestic Resources: National Mauritanian Web Portal - note on the fiscal and customs reform (in French)

National Organizations: The Ministry of Mining and Industry has jurisdiction over matters of protecting intellectual property. For authors' rights, protection falls under the Department of Cultural Cooperation and the Protection of Authors' Rights of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Orientation.
Regional Organizations: Mauritania is one of the 16 member countries of AIPO, African Intellectual Property Organization, The current regulation concerning intellectual property is based on the Bangui treaty of 1977.
International Membership: Member of the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)
Signatory to the Paris Convention For the Protection of Intellectual Property

Type of property and law	Validity	International Agreements Signed
Patent Law n° 17/97 relating to the protection of industrial property.	20 years	Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Trademark Treaty revising the Bangui Treaty of March 2, 1977 on the creation of African Organization for Intellectual Property, February 1999	10 years, renewable for consecutive 10-year periods
Design Treaty revising the Bangui Treaty of March 2, 1977	5 years, renewable for two consecutive 5-year periods
Copyright Treaty revising the Bangui Treaty of March 2, 1977	Until 70 years after the author's death	Berne convention For the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works WIPO Copyright Treaty
Industrial Models Treaty revising the Bangui Treaty of March 2, 1977	5 years, renewable for two consecutive periods of 5 years

Independence of Justice: The judiciary in Mauritania is not independent. It is heavily influenced by the government. Many decisions are shaped by Islamic law, especially in family and civil matters.
Equal Treatment of Nationals and Foreigners: Foreign nationals cannot expect an impartial trial from the country's judicial system.
The Language of Justice: The judicial language in the country is Arabic.
Recourse to an Interpreter: An interpreter can be organised.
Sources of the Law and Legal Similarities: The main source of the law is the constitution of 1991 (modified through a referendum in June 2006). The country's legal system is a combination of Islamic law and French civil law.
Checking National Laws Online: Mauritanian Law
Mauritanian Developmental Webportal

Learn more about Lawyers and Legal in Mauritania on Globaltrade.net, the Directory for International Trade Service Providers.

National Standards Organizations: Department of standardization and quality promotion, In French or Arabic
Integration in the International Standards Network: The Mauritanian regulatory environment is characterised by poor norms and regulations. The recently created Departement for standardization and quality promotion (DNPQ) is a Directorate of the Ministry of Mines and Industry whose mission concerns standardization, certification, accreditation and metrology.The DNPQ is a correspondent member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Classification of Standards: National standards are derived from international ones.
Online Consultation of Standards: Legislatory changes in the matter of regulation techniques are published in the Official Journal of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
Certification Organizations: Department of Standardization and quality promotion

General Information: Worldbiz, World Business website on Mauritania
Opening Hours and Days: During the week, people work from 8AM to 4PM from Sunday to Thursday. Banks and administrative offices are open from 8AM to 1PM. Friday and Saturday are week-end days but for the majority of Mauritanian workers only have right to a free Friday.

Year's Day	January 1
Labor Day	May 1
The Organization of African Unity Day	May 25
Independence Day	November 28
Aid El Fitr	Variable, indicates the end of Ramadan
Aid El Adha	Variable, 70 days after the end of Ramadan
Aid El Mawled	Variable
Islamic New Year	Variable

Aid El Fitr	Between 2 and 10 days depending on the region
Aid El Adha	Between 2 and 10 days depending on the region

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