Govt slashes trade license fines; amount will be reduced to one-thirtieth

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has issued an order reducing the fine amounts being collected by municipalities for delays in renewing trade licenses. Section 11(4) of the Municipal Rules will be amended to implement this.

The fine imposed on industries, commercial establishments, factories, enterprises, and other services will be reduced to one-thirtieth of the current rate. A fine of 20% of the annual fee will suffice for delays of up to one year. An additional fee of 25 per cent will be charged for each year beyond that. For instance, a business with a license fee of Rs 1,000 will only need to pay Rs 200 as a fine for a one-year delay. Previously, the fine for the same delay was Rs 6,000. For a two-year delay, where the earlier penalty would have been Rs 12,000, the new fine will now be just Rs 450.

After the expiry of the license renewal period, an additional 10% of the annual fees will still be charged for renewing the license before its expiration. As per the rules, the renewal application must be submitted at least 30 days before the license's expiration.