Business Desk :
Hotels, motels, resorts and guest houses owners have demanded tax waiver on goods and services. They made the demand today at the FBCCI Standing Committee on Hotel, Motel, Resorts and Guest House Development at the first meeting of the committee held at the FBCCI office in the city, said a press release.
Members of the committee observed that hotels, motels, resorts and guesthouses are an integral part of tourism. But the owners have to pay huge tariffs on the equipment and products they import in order to ensure modern facilities for foreign tourists, they opined. They mentioned that they also have to pay VAT on the service and further a 37 per cent tax has to be paid on income. This huge tax burden hampers the further flourishment of this sector, they said.
They said the Corona epidemic has almost destroyed the business of hotels, resorts and guesthouses. They demanded exemption from duties and taxes to compensate for the loss and the businessmen claimed lower tax and VAT would help provide better services including rent at a cheaper rate. In order to attract foreign tourists to Bangladesh, the members of the committee demanded the relaxation of the obligation to test the corona within 48 hours before the flight and the simplification of the visa process.
The committee members blamed inadequate branding for the development of tourism in Bangladesh. The speakers urged branding Bangladesh in the tourism sector through the Tourism Board. Hence, they call for necessary allocation in the budget. Besides, recommendations for formulating a guest house development policy came up in the meeting.
FBCCI Senior Vice President Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu also joined the meeting virtually as the chief guest. He said hotels, motels and guesthouses were among the sectors most affected by the Corona epidemic and the sector has also been playing an important role in earning foreign exchange.
