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Amusement park owners have demanded waiving all taxes, fees, VAT, and supplementary duty for the next three years to cover the damage and loss the sector incurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The leaders of the Bangladesh Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions raised an 11-point charter of demands at a meeting with State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali on Sunday.
They also demanded waiving electricity bills for the past two years.
BAAPA’s President Shahriar Kamal at the meeting briefed the state minister about how the parks are now being operated in compliance with the standard operating procedure of the Bangladesh Tourism Board and all health guidelines amid the pandemic context.
In response, state minister Mahbub Ali said that a lot of investment was made in this sector and it created a lot of employment. The government is very optimistic about this sector and will extend cooperation, he said.
The BAAPA leaders sought a waiver of corporate tax, VAT and other taxes on amusement parks for the next three years so that tourists and visitors can be entertained at a lower cost.
As amusement parks are included in the tourism industry, this sector should be given the facilities declared for the tourism sector and include them in incentive packages for their survival.
They also sought duty-and-VAT-free import of their amusement equipment and rides.
They also requested not to close down amusement parks if the Covid situation deteriorates again as the crowd in the parks is controllable.
The leaders requested the state minister to take initiatives to promote and popularise the theme and amusement parks among local and foreign tourists, arranging tourist police for the security of the park visitors, and vaccinating all staff of the amusement parks on a priority basis.
They also demanded financial assistance for theme park staff as they had suffered a lot from the closure of the parks in past two years.
M Mahfuzur Rahman, media coordinator of BAAPA, told The Business Post the association leaders met the minister and talked about various issues there.
“We have made 11 demands to the government. If they accept their demands, the damages of past two years could be recovered,” he said.
The government opened tourism and amusement parks on August 19 in compliance with the health rules.
There are 300 amusement and theme parks across the country and more than 100 of them are members of BAAPA.
The Covid-induced closure of amusement and theme parks affected two lakh people directly or indirectly and the sector incurred a loss of over Tk 1,000 crore, according to the association.
