CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Thursday clarified that the hikes in trade licence fees and professional tax will not be implemented at present, as reported by Thanthi TV.

The hikes will come into effect only if approved by the Tamil Nadu government, the civic body explained.

The GCC council recently mooted a slew of upward revisions, including a 35% increase in biannual professional tax for salaried individuals. 

The trade licence has been increased by up to Rs 30,000 – for businesses ranging from cinema studios and ice cream parlours to shops that sell dry fish. A resolution moved in the council meet said that the existing fee for bakeries, medical shops, and hair salons has been increasedby up to Rs 10,000, while for textile shops, it has gone up to Rs 15,000.

In the case of professional tax, the civic body fixed the hike at the upper band of 35 per cent. Incidentally, the hike applies to those earning between Rs 21,000 and Rs 60,000 per month while those with higher salaries do not have any tax hike. Professional tax is collected once every six months.

(With inputs from Bureau)