The Hindu 25.07.2012
MCC to set up panel to look into trade licence fee hike
The Mysore City Corporation (MCC) will set up a committee to study the trade licence fee structure.This
was decided by MCC Commissioner M.R. Ravi on Monday after he was
apprised by merchants of the “unviable” hike in trade licence fee
imposed by the corporation.Though the MCC is
supposed to hike the fee by 10 per cent once in three years, it has
failed to effect a hike for almost 10 years.
The
merchants, who were represented by the Mysore Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (MCCI), the Mysore District Hoteliers’ Association and other
bodies, made their case before the MCC Commissioner who said that the
committee would study the licence fee hike and that the elected council
would take a final decision on it.
‘Irrational’
MCCI
president Sudhakar Shetty said they wanted the hike to be restricted to
20 per cent of the earlier rates and pointed out that the new rates
were not only “irrational” but also “exorbitant” and were higher than
the fee stipulated by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike in the
capital.
Eight persons
Later, speaking to
The Hindu
, Mr. Ravi said the committee would have four officers from the MCC and four representatives from the merchant community.
The
panel would look into various aspects pertaining to the licence fee
hike. It would submit its report by the end of the week and the report
would be tabled before the council, he added.The
Commissioner pointed out that the merchants were not against the licence
fee hike, but that they perceived the hike as arbitrary.
