Chennai Corporation hikes business licence fee up to Rs 30,000
Brace yourself denizens, as the cost of your monthly groceries, consumables, health care and medicines will shoot up even more, thanks to the steep hike in the licence fee for businesses levied by the GCC
Mayor R Priya and Corporation Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran presided over the monthly council meet held at Ripon Building on Tuesday
CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) passed a resolution to increase the licence fee for businesses up to Rs 30,000 during the monthly council meeting at Ripon Building on Tuesday.
The charges have almost doubled in all the sectors.
The charges increased for all business firms ranging from cinema studios, and ice cream parlours to even small shops that sell dry fish.
When inflation has been browbeating the common man already, this hike in licence fee would add to the burden.
The licence fee for bakeries, medical shops, and hair salons was increased up to Rs 10,000. Textile shops will have to pay Rs 15,000. Earlier, the fee began from Rs 1,500 onwards.
For cinema studios and jewellery shops, the fee jumped from Rs 5,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 respectively. Even eatery businesses such as juice stalls, ice cream parlours, tea and meat stalls now have to pay between Rs 2,000 and Rs 10,000.
The existing fee for the manufacturing of export garments, leather goods and fibre glass sheets is Rs 5,000, which is increased up to Rs 15,000.
The proverbial net tightens around fishermen with the fee for fishing net and manufacturing of fishnet fabrics increased from Rs 250 and Rs 5,000 respectively to Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000. Coffee roasting and grinding businesses that had been paying Rs 500 for up to 1,000 sq ft and Rs 1,500 for above 1,500 sq ft, would now be paying Rs 1,500 and Rs 10,000 respectively.
The organisations and factories within the Corporation limit are required to register and obtain a licence from the local body. Those who register must pay both the registration fee and renewal fee to the Corporation.
Additionally, there is a provision to increase the fee and renew the licence once every three years.
In 2011, a few municipalities, town panchayats, and village panchayats were merged with the Corporation. The city Corporation has decided to impose the new fee structure on the businesses there as well.
