City waiving license fee for month of June.

• Author: Knauss, Christina Lee

By Christina Lee Knauss

The city of Columbia's Business License Division is waiving business license renewal penalty fees for the month of June.

The division is waiving the penalty fees as a show of appreciation for Columbia businesses that are making necessary adjustments to comply with the city's new business license ordinance for 2022, according to a news release from the city.

The ordinance was passed in response to requirements of the state's Business License Tax Standardization Act, which was passed in September 2020 and went into effect on Jan. 1. The act's purpose is to streamline the process for taxing jurisdictions statewide and to make the process of obtaining a business license easier.

The act's provisions included establishing a uniform 12-month license period statewide (May 1-April 30) and requiring a standard business license application form that could be...