TUSTIN : License Fee Penalty Amnesty Granted

The City Council has decided to grant temporary amnesty from late penalties to businesses that owe back license fees.

The amnesty program runs from December through February and will allow businesses to pay whatever they owe in back license fees without late charges, city officials said.

The annual license tax depends on the size of the business and ranges from $25 to $100 annually. The late charge assessed is usually 100% of a business’s annual fee, Assistant Community Development Director Rita Westfield said.

Because the city does not have an accurate count of how many businesses are unlicensed, she could not say how much money the program, approved last week, would generate for the city. There are at least 525 delinquent accounts, although some could be out of business, and there may be hundreds more, she said.

“It gives everybody a chance to clear the slate,” Westfield said. “In addition, we’re trying to get those businesses that were never licensed. Maybe they were ignorant of the fact that they needed a license. We like to give the benefit of the doubt. This is not going to be a strong-arm approach,” she said.