Stop mobile court ‘harassment’: Restaurant owners demand

Restaurant owners yesterday demanded a stop to "unnecessary harassment" in the name of running mobile courts to ensure standards and compliance with regulations.

"Restaurant owners are threatened unnecessarily by law enforcing agencies when mobile courts are conducted. We would like to urge the authorities to conduct mobile courts as per the rules of business of mobile courts," said Imran Hassan, secretary general of Bangladesh Restaurant Owners' Association (BROA).

"We don't have any intention to provide adulterated food to customers as restaurant owners do business with essential products," he told a press briefing at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka.

According to Hassan, there is a provision enabling fines to be paid within five working days but mobile courts compel restaurant owners to pay fines then and there over allegations centering adulteration and food safety. He urged for a shift from such an arrogant mindset against restaurant owners. Rather, the authority should aim to ensure safe food for all, he said.

The BROA also demanded a level playing field for all by ensuring that value added tax (VAT) is mandatorily paid by all restaurants.

While registered restaurants are realising VAT for the National Board of Revenue, others are yet to be registered, it said. Non-air conditioned restaurants realise VAT at 5 per cent and aired-conditioned ones at 7.5 per cent. According to the association, there are around four lakh restaurants across the country employing around 30 lakh people.

Hassan said these restaurants were directly aiding the agriculture and tourism sectors.

The BROA also demanded that the government recognise the restaurant business as an industry.

Besides, it demanded that licenses and all others official documents be required to be renewed every three years instead of every year.

The BROA secretary general alleged that they have to renew such documents by going round 11 entities every year, which is time consuming and a hassle.

Restaurant owners proposed to impose income tax considering profit and expenditure to be 20 per cent and two thirds of their annual turnover respectively.

The BROA also demanded that electronic fiscal devices be provided free of cost while a supplementary duty be lifted, saying it discouraged restaurant owners form collecting VAT on gross profits. Presided over by Hazi Md Usman Gani, president of the BROA, the event was also addressed by Taufiqul Islam, treasurer, and Laboni Hassan Chowdhury, managing director of Nawabi Voj.