Delhi Traders Flag Glitches in MCD Tax Portal, Seek Relief on Mixed-Use Property Charges

Delhi’s trading community has raised serious concerns over the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) newly launched integrated trade licence portal , saying the system is creating fresh compliance hurdles instead of simplifying business processes.

The concerns were flagged during a meeting convened by MCD officials with market association representatives to review the integrated portal for trade licences and property tax . In a representation submitted to the civic body, traders demanded urgent technical fixes and policy clarity, warning that the portal in its current form could unfairly burden thousands of small businesses.

The main objection centres on the calculation of General Trade Licence (GTL) fees for mixed-use properties . According to traders, the portal is levying charges on the entire built-up area linked to a property through its Unique Property Identification Code (UPIC) , even if only a small portion is being used for commercial activity. Market bodies argued that GTL fees should be imposed only on the area actually used for business, not on residential sections of the property.

Traders also flagged confusion over the overlap between General Trade Licence (GTL) and Health Trade Licence (HTL) categories. They said businesses such as salons, grocery stores, confectionery shops, dry-cleaning units and tailoring establishments appear under both heads, creating uncertainty and scope for inconsistent enforcement across Delhi.

In addition, the associations sought practical improvements to make the portal more workable. These include options to mark a licence as not applicable , enter existing licence details, edit applications before final submission, and access an online grievance redressal system with complaint tracking. They also asked for clear user guidelines, contact details of concerned officers, and a provision to display exact trade descriptions under the “Others” category.

While welcoming digitisation, traders said the portal must ease compliance, not deepen the burden on Delhi’s business community.