DLCA Offering Grace Period To Entities With Expired Business Licenses

ST. CROIX — The Virgin Islands Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs (DLCA) is notifying all individuals and entities holding an expired business license of its intention to offer an amnesty period to facilitate coming into compliance, according to a press release the department issued on Monday.

DLCA says while it’s not insensitive to the difficult economic times being experienced by some, Virgin Islands law provides that all business licenses shall be renewed on an annual basis.

When a licensee does not renew annually, that delinquent licensee is charged a percentage of the license fee as a late fee penalty for each month the license is not renewed. However, Virgin Islands law also provides the commissioner of DLCA the authority to use discretion in waiving or reducing penalties. The license fee itself, however, is mandatory and cannot be waived or reduced.

Therefore, effective immediately, delinquent licensees are given until Monday, August 31, 2015 to come into compliance with respect to renewing any license(s) that is not current. The department, in turn, shall provide a reduction on late penalty fees of 25% of the total owed by a delinquent licensee. This offer shall expire at the close of the business day on Monday, August 31, 2015.

This amnesty offer is specific to late fee penalties for delinquent license renewal and is not applicable to those licensees who have not paid or are contesting the payment of a citation(s) and or fines issued by the DLCA for infractions of the law.

Finally, the department urged all individuals and/or entities that are operating a business in the territory without the proper licensure to come into compliance with Virgin Islands law, which requires that all individuals and/or entities doing business in the Virgin Islands to procure a license from DLCA. Failure to do so shall result in legal action being taken against offenders to the fullest extent of the law, according to the press release.