KOCHI: Considering the protests raised by merchants and shop owners over the decision to increase the annual Dangerous and Offensive (D&O) licence fee, the State Government has postponed the proposed hike. As per an order issued last week, the new rates will be implemented only after two years.It was in February last year that the State Government had issued a notification, fixing a minimum cess rate. Based on it, the Health Standing Committee of the Kochi Corporation proposed to revise the annual license fee on the basis of a slab system. The fee will be calculated on the volume of sale by each shop, the items that they stock in the shops and the value of the stock. The size of the shop will also be considered.The Merchants Union as well as other similar organisations had come out strongly against the new slab system. “Strong protest from various quarters might have prompted the government to review its decision. We have already received a notification in this regard,” said Kochi Corporation Health Standing Committee chairman T K Ashraf.Earlier, the Kochi Corporation Council had decided to revoke its decision to increase the annual licence fee. Presently the shops in the city, including big-brand shops, are paying only Rs 250 as annual licence fee. Considering the financial crisis faced by the Corporation, the standing committee had decided to increase the annual licence fee.But various traders bodies protested the move alleging that the civic body had hiked the fee without doing proper homework and said that big shops will have to pay Rs 1 lakh as per the new system, forcing the Corporation to revoke its decision.
Comments
0 comment