Mediterranean advantage

The Economic Times in India explores why Malta could provide an ideal European base for Indians:

It's not really a country that we think about too often when we talk about opportunities for skilled Indian professionals. But that could soon change. In fact, the Mediterranean nation Malta -- which joined the European Union in 2004 -- is now positioning itself as a hub for ICT, medical tourism, financial services and high end manufacturing. And that is making the country increasingly attractive for Indian entrepreneurs, students and highly skilled workers. Besides, the fact that Malta is a wealth management centre also makes it an attractive destination for high net worth Indians..

While there are very few Indians in Malta so far, there's a community of Sindhi businessmen who have been settled in the region for many years. "They are the second generation of traders and retailers and had moved to Malta during the partition of India. They are very well integrated and are locally respected. There are many success stories of the Indian community in Malta," Me Kenely said. He is the first Maltese high commissioner to India -- the high commission was set up about seven months ago.

One of the seniormost members of the Indian community in Malta is Tikram Bharwani who moved there in 1946. He joined other family members who were already living here to take over the family's furniture business. Initially, he had a British passport when he moved to Malta. Indian business families that are very well integrated in the economic fabric of Malta run businesses in furniture, clothing and gift retail as well as catering. The first Indian community centre was built in 1992 in San Gwann and has emerged as a social hub for the Indians in Malta.

The government of Malta is now inviting Indian companies to set up operations in the country. From the corporate tax perspective, Malta is quite a perfect place to run a business and if a shareholder is an individual or a company resident outside Malta, up to 93 percent of the company's pre-tax accounting profit can be received as dividend...