Kolkata: A long-pending revision of trade licence fees and a simplified online system have pushed up collections in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s (KMC) Licence Department, with revenue rising 40% in the current financial year so far.
According to the civic body’s 2026-27 Budget statement, the department has earned approximately Rs 64 crore from new issuance and renewal of Certificates of Enlistment (CE) up to September 30, 2025, in FY 2025-26. This marks a 40% increase over the revenue collected during the corresponding period of the previous financial year.
The jump comes after licence fees for scheduled businesses were revised — largely upward — during FY 2025-26. The revision was undertaken after a gap of around 15 years. While most categories saw an increase, fees for some businesses remain unchanged.
The Licence Department issues and renews Certificates of Enlistment — mandatory for carrying on trade within city limits — through the KMC web portal. The process is now conducted on a real-time basis, making it contactless and fully online.
The civic body has also simplified the procedure for obtaining a new Certificate of Enlistment under fresh guidelines issued under Section 199 of the KMC Act, 1980. Traders now need to submit only two documents to obtain the certificate. Earlier requirements mandating pre-submission of statutory clearances, such as fire licences, clinical establishment certificates, pollution control certificates, and RBI or SEBI approvals at the time of application, have been relaxed. However, such statutory clearances must still be obtained before commencement of the trade.
To prevent misuse of the online system, the department has introduced mobile-based OTP verification for the closure of Certificates of Enlistment and formed a departmental committee to examine and approve applications seeking change or correction of names in the certificate.
With collections already touching Rs 64 crore in the first half, KMC has set a revenue target of Rs 90 crore for the full financial year 2025-26. For 2026-27, the civic body expects licence fee collections to reach approximately Rs 100 crore, aided by a proposed new licence module under e-KMC 2.0.