City Council charging vendors special Christmas-time fee
THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has instituted a Christmas cleansing fee for vending on its parapets and other thoroughfares during the festive season.
Vendors plying their trade in Regent Street, sections of Water Street, Stabroek Front and Robb Street will be required to pay $14,000 for two weeks. A release from City Hall said the objective is to make the sellers share in the cost of collecting garbage in those areas where they are doing business.
At the end of any business day, large amounts of wrappings and other packaging materials could be seen in different sections of the main commercial areas.
As a result, the Council is forced to put extra trucks and other resources into managing the additional waste generated by those selling.
The release said, given the fact that Council is already strapped for cash and is working with a very narrow revenue base, it had to find a way to account for the collection from  businesses and vendors during this period.
Consequently, it has asked vendors, too, to pay the special fee and that collection is handled by the Markets’ Department.