June 28, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 27,1424

LA BAULE, France, June 27: French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin vowed here on Friday to make the country more attractive to investors through fiscal and social incentives for foreign executives, graduate students and researchers.

Mr Raffarin, who was speaking to the World Investment Conference, gave no precise details, but said relevant tax measures would be announced by the end of the year.

The French daily La Tribune reported on Thursday that the prime minister hoped to attract higher levels of international investment by offering foreign executives a 35pc income-tax break.

Among measures announced on Friday were plans to scrap foreign traders’ licenses, to merge visas, residents permits and work permits into one single document, and to grant automatic work permits to the partners of foreign executives.

The moves are aimed at “bringing the statute of foreign executives into line with that of French executives working abroad,” the prime minister told investors.

Mr Raffarin confirmed government plans to lower France’s business tax rate to the European average by the end of the current parliamentary session.—AFP