Faridabad MC notice to 4,000 trade licence fee defaulters

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, November 14

The poor recovery of trade licence fee has made Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) issue a notice to defaulters.

Only 3 to 4 per cent of the total trading and manufacturing units have paid the fee this year so far, it is revealed.

A spokesperson of the civic body said that besides a public notice, individual notices have also been given to over 4,000 units.

A special camp in this regard is being organised on Thursday. The defaulters are liable for action under the provision of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act 1994.

The last date for submission of the fee is March 31, 2019. Under the Act, prior permission of the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, is required to establish, operate, manufacture or sell any product or service.

The rate of the fee for the majority of service providers or sellers, which include banks, saloons, sweet shops, cosmetics, clothes and household articles, medicines, plastic goods and sanitaryware, has been fixed and notified at the MCF website.

With a minimum of Rs 500, it could be over a lakh depending upon the turnover or nature of business. While a bank needs to pay Rs 5,000 as annual fee, a car or four-wheeler showroom having more than 300 sq yards is required to pay Rs 1,00,000. For an air-conditioned banquet hall, it is between Rs 50,000 and 1,50,000.

“We have notified the list of every trade or work on our website mcfaridabad.org” said Mohammed Shayin, Commissioner, MCF.

He said while according to an estimate, over one lakh concerns or traders ought to pay the fee, only 4,000 units are registered with the MCF till date.

“The annual income of the MCF can rise by at least Rs 100 crore if the entire fee is recovered,” he said.

The MCF, which got just Rs 8.4 crore as trade licence fee last year (2017-18), has been able to collect Rs 8.09 crore between April 1 and October 31 this year. “The units could be sealed as per law for defaulting on this front,” said the Commissioner.