Trade licence renewal to be allowed for five years instead of one: Dhaka South administrator
Salam said the Tk3,000 paid to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) during trade licence renewal does not go to the city corporation’s revenue. He advised businesses to demand that the government reduce the fee.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) will soon allow businesses and citizens to renew trade licences for five years at a time instead of annually, DSCC Administrator Md Abdus Salam said today (16 August).
He made the remarks as the chief guest at a discussion titled "Local business and commerce, law and order, traffic congestion and trade licence renewal services", jointly organised by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and DSCC in Dhaka.
The administrator said the trade licence renewal process was being changed to make services easier for businesses and citizens. Under the new system, a licence that currently needs to be renewed every year will be renewable for five years at a time.
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Salam said the Tk3,000 paid to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) during trade licence renewal does not go to the city corporation's revenue. He advised businesses to demand that the government reduce the fee.
"Trade licences must be issued on the day of application. No delay will be tolerated," he said.
Salam said proposals to increase taxes, trade licence fees and signboard fees had been rejected in the public interest after he took charge. However, signboard fees were not being properly collected from large businesses and banks.
He said DSCC was expanding its online and digital services to make them more citizen-friendly, allowing people to pay taxes and renew trade licences from home. However, the digitalisation process had faced a temporary setback following the forgery of trade licences by an unscrupulous group.
Highlighting Old Dhaka's business heritage, Salam said the city's main business hub would lose its historical importance if businesses moved to Uttara or other areas.
He called for providing adequate facilities to businesses in Old Dhaka and reviving the traditional panchayat system.
The DSCC administrator also expressed concern over traffic congestion and disorder in the capital. He identified battery-powered auto-rickshaws and unregulated street vendors on footpaths as major disruptions to city life.
He said street vendors would not be completely evicted for humanitarian reasons, but efforts were being made to rehabilitate them and bring them under discipline.
He added that rickshaws and vendors were being brought under registration. The corporation plans to create biodata-based databases of a specific number of rickshaws and vendors based on the city's capacity and issue licences accordingly.
Salam also proposed resolving long-standing arrears and complications over rent, taxes and trade licences at DSCC-owned markets through joint discussions between chamber representatives and corporation officials.
Regarding licence renewals for chemical and polythene businesses, he said the city corporation could not independently issue licences for such businesses as they are officially prohibited without approval.
However, he said the corporation would provide policy support if businesses contacted the relevant government offices.
"Trade and citizen services are being made easier and more citizen-friendly for the convenience of businesses and residents. Necessary steps will be taken to make trade licence renewal and other services faster and hassle-free," Abdus Salam said.
