Incorporate licence fee provision in spices law: Par panel

A parliamentary panel has suggested the commerce ministry to amend the Spices Act, 1986, to include provisions related to licence fee for manual and e-auction of cardamom.
Currently the Cardamom (Licensing and Marketing) (Amendment) Rules 2014 prescribes licence fee for manual and e-auction of cardamom as Rs 5,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively.
In its report, the Committee on Subordinate Legislation has stated that for imposition of licence fee, there has to be an express authorisation in the Act.
The committee has recommended that the commerce "ministry in consultation with the Law Ministry may bring out suitable amendment in the Spices Act, 1986 to incorporate the provision for prescribing licence fee under the Act".

The report said that the committee has time and again emphasised that issues like imposition of fee and levy of taxes should have been provided for in the Act itself.
The commerce ministry has justified the fee on the ground that infrastructure for conducting e-auctions which include setting up of auction centres, installation of computer server/terminals is established and maintained by the Spices Board.