Marondera Town Council has slashed its business licensing fees by almost 50% following an outcry by businesspeople who disapproved the initial astronomical hike.

By Staff Reporter

The business community last week woke up to shocking licensing fees, which saw some being ordered to pay $45 000, up from $1 300.

Mayor Chengetai Murowa later admitted that the local authority’s finance department had erred in its calculations, saying the government-approved figures were below those served to the businesses.

Murowa confirmed yesterday that they had rectified the problem, with most businesses having their fees cut by almost 50%.

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“We had a marathon meeting last Friday and resolved that the licence fees be reduced to reasonable figures. For example, the $45 000 figure had (to be) reduced to $23 000. I can say the licence fees were reduced by almost 50% depending on the type of business. The initial licence fees were astronomical. Something went wrong. We met management and came up with a tangible positive result to the effect that we had to reduce the fees,” he said.

Most businesses are struggling due to the prevailing unfavourable economic conditions.

However, the business community is asking council to review the licence fees further down given the current economic conditions.