Money changers closed across Malé after the government warned of a crackdown on selling dollars on the parallel market. A businessman told Adhadhu the black market rate is now above MVR23 – more than 48 per cent above the official rate of MVR15.42. When he asked BML for dollars at the official rate to pay for imports, he was told TT support is limited to 20 per cent of the invoice (US$2,000 on a US$10,000 invoice), leaving him to find the rest elsewhere.
Parliament's decentralisation committee approved the bill giving cabinet power to seize council land for government projects with a key amendment requiring compensation to be paid for any investments made on the land. The finance ministry would determine the amount. The bill also requires councils to hand over land before physical plans are approved and makes it a code of conduct violation for councils to obstruct government projects. It comes after the opposition MDP swept all city and major island councils in April elections. A counter-petition supporting the bill gathered over 10,000 signatures after the government reportedly directed state employees to sign and recruit family members, following a public petition with 2,300 signatures calling for the bill's withdrawal.
An American national, Kobol Britaine Tyler, 36, was arrested at the airport after a loaded magazine was found in his luggage upon arrival. A court remanded him for 10 days in custody.
The regulation on foreign employment was amended to require all employers to pay foreign workers' salaries directly into personal bank accounts held at MMA-licensed banks. It takes effect in 30 days.
Customs rules were updated to explicitly allow travellers arriving from abroad to bring in small manual cigarette rolling machines, rolling papers, filters and tubes without declaring them, while also tightening tobacco allowances, reducing cigars from 25 to 20 and loose tobacco from 250g to 100g and raising the minimum age for tobacco duty exemptions from 18 to 21, with the exemption also excluding anyone born after 1 January.
The measles outbreak reached 243 cases more than three months after re-emerging in May, with 17 new cases recorded this week after a dip to 10 last week, though the overall trend since 28 July has been declining. One person’s death has been tied to the disease, and 16,045 people have been vaccinated so far, with HPA urging the public to complete two MMR doses.
Parliament's economic committee approved a bill introducing jail sentences of up to two years for tax fraud, replacing the current house arrest penalty, and doubling the late payment penalty rate from 0.05 to 0.1 percent per day on unpaid tax. The bill also gives MIRA greater powers to estimate tax liability when returns are not filed, sets a daily fine of MVR 50 for late filing, and imposes criminal fines of up to MVR250,000 (US$161,73.47) alongside jail terms of one to six months for filing-related offences.
