The Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association has called for the introduction of an integrated one-stop service to simplify the process of obtaining and renewing licenses for restaurants. At a press conference held on Sunday at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, the association presented an 11-point demand to address persistent challenges in the sector, including harassment and delays caused by the need to secure certificates from 10 to 12 different agencies.

The demands also include keeping VAT and tax rates at a tolerable level in the upcoming budget, restoring gas connections, stopping harassment under the guise of raids, preventing corporate dominance, implementing the declaration of the sector as an industry, and ensuring training for unskilled workers under government management. Association leaders said the sector is still struggling to recover from the pandemic, while rising fuel and commodity prices have worsened the situation.

They urged the government to take prompt action to implement these demands, warning that continued tax pressure and unregulated competition from unregistered restaurants pose risks to both public health and the sustainability of the industry.