Teams undertake on-spot licence checking, renewal and granting

Mysore/Mysuru: Buoyed by the encouraging response to intensified Property Tax collection drives that has resulted in the increased revenue to the cash-starved Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), the civic body has now intensified the trade licence drive to collect pending dues and also issue fresh licences.

The drive was launched a couple of days back where teams are visiting individual shops, establishments and outlets in all commercial and residential areas to check documents. If trade licences are not renewed, renewal is done on-the-spot after collecting money and if the traders have not taken the licence till now, fresh licences are issued.

The trade licence drive has been launched under the leadership of MCC Additional Commissioner Roopa and the drives are being undertaken in all the nine MCC Zones under the leadership of the respective Zonal Assistant Commissioners. Teams have been formed comprising Revenue Inspectors and Assistant Revenue Officers who are visiting shop-by-shop checking and verifying documents with the original records.

Roopa told SOM that following directions from MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, a trade licence issuance and renewal drive has been launched. Although commercial establishments were issued notices for renewal of trade licence, they neglected it in the past.

During the drive, it was discovered that some shops have been running business without trade licence for over three years and now, the licence fee, along with penalty, has been collected from them. COVID and the later months had severely affected trade licence collection and many traders had failed to renew their licences despite mandate.

“As of now there is no problem. But we are ready to take punitive action if there is a huge backlog of licence fees and if any trader objects to pay,” an officer said. Property Tax and trade licence fee are two important revenue sources for MCC to undertake development works. All the Zonal Assistant Commissioners have been asked to ensure that the pending dues are collected.