Kohima: Mon Deputy Commissioner Wennyei Konyak issued a hard order to all local hotels, restaurants, and businesses. Stop adding automatic service charges to bills. The directive mandates full compliance with Central Consumer Protection Authority guidelines. Establishments cannot hide these fees under aliases like staff welfare or hospitality charges.
The policy remains clear. Customers choose whether to pay. Payment is strictly voluntary. No business can deny entry or withhold services because a patron refuses to pay the extra fee. The order warns owners that service charges cannot be added to bills for the purpose of levying GST on the total amount.
The Assistant Controller of Legal Metrology and Consumer Protection will now hunt for violations. Officials will conduct inspections to catch those ignoring the rule. "Consumers shall not be compelled to pay service charge, as the payment is voluntary and at their discretion, and no restriction shall be imposed on entry or provision of services on account of a consumer's decision not to pay the charge," the notification stated. Any non-compliance will trigger official action.
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