The number of licensed premises in Bangladesh could be increased in order to boost the government’s coffers through a greater inflow of alcohol duty.Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain told a general discussion on the 2018-19 fiscal year budget in parliament on Monday that there are currently 96 licensed bars in Bangladesh.
However, he said there were many establishments illegally serving alcohol, especially in the diplomatic quarters of the capital. “There are so many restaurants in Dhaka's upscale Gulshan and Banani neighbourhoods that are serving liquor,” the minister said.
“If you go there to dine, if you ask for anything - any brand of alcohol - they will serve you, but these restaurants do not pay the regular taxes to the government exchequer.“(We need to) give them legal licences so that we can charge them taxes.”
The minister said that at the same time as widening the regulatory net, the government could consider lowering the duty on alcohol in an effort to boost tourism.“The foreigners do not like the rate of the liquor that they are paying in the bars,” the minister said. Separately during Monday’s session in parliament, the minister signalled a potential reduction the proposed registration tax on flats to boost the real estate sector, suggesting it could be a “flat 7%.”