If all goes as planned by the state government, trade licences to industries will become history.
Participating at an interaction at the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday, Mr M.N. Vidyashankar, principal secretary, department of commerce and industry, said that industries will be exempted from paying trade licence fee to the local bodies, the BBMP and others. The department has already taken the decision and it will be announced soon, he said.
FKCCI members claimed that the industrial units have been paying property and other sales-related taxes as per the industrial norm. Industries should not be brought under the trade licence regime as the BBMP has not been providing any service to industries. The BBMP is slapping the fee on the industries only as a tax mopping up exercise and should be done away with, they alleged.
They said that BBMP authorities were harassing the industrial houses to get the trade licences. Mr Vidyashankar replied that the industries ministry has sent a note to the Urban Development Department asking the palike not to force trade licences on industries. But other shops and establishments will not be exempted from obtaining the trade licence, he clarified.