Beauty Service Owners Association of Bangladesh elects new executive committee

The Beauty Service Owners Association of Bangladesh (BSOAB) organised a press conference to introduce its newly elected executive panel for the 2021-2023 term.

This was BSOAB first ever "Meet the Press" event, and was held at the Gulshan Club in Dhaka. Kaniz Almas Khan, president of the Beauty Service Owners Association of Bangladesh, addressed the media on behalf of her organisation with some significant information and demands.

"The beauty service sector is struggling to tackle and mend the losses caused due to the pandemic. We cannot deny that this industry has merely started to flourish but playing a very important role in the development of the quality of life in the country. Furthermore, this sector is equally creating job opportunities for the minorities of the country, for example, by engaging the Garo women as skilled workers," said Kaniz Almas Khan.

She further explained, "Approximately 99 percent of the management of this sector is run by women. However, the existing value-added tax (VAT) system and the pandemic are creating hindrances for the beauty service providers, and many beauty services have already been shut down or are on the verge of closing down. Thus, the government should reduce the VAT rate to 5% from the existing 15% on beauty parlours, spas and salon industries."

The Beauty Service Owners Association of Bangladesh has previously been recognised by the Ministry of Commerce.

At the end of the event, beauty service providers from different districts shared their struggles and hardships regarding the inconvenience of the current VAT system and the inequalities that still persist in this sector.