[PRESS RELEASE #57] Updates to Business Licensing Bureau

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Oj Wood
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[PRESS RELEASE #57] Updates to Business Licensing Bureau

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01 June, 2023
San Andreas State Government

1. Introduction
  • The Business Licensing Bureau of the State Government is excited to announce the introduction of a new license and fine appeal process coming to the BLB as well as an updated Competition Policy. We have received a lot of feedback from the citizens of our great state and are always working to improve processes to help our economy thrive. With that we hope that the introduction of a Private Investigations firm will enable a new industry for our citizens with a desire to serve others and uncover the truth. Alongside this, the introduction of a Fine Appeal Process increasing due process within our government/business relations. Finally taking steps to address fairness in the market, BLB will be implementing a 25% market ownership cap for Parent Companies, to prevent them from owning large amounts of subsidiaries, preventing the formation of monopolies.
2. Introduction of a Fines Appeal Process
  • The Business Licensing Bureau is committed to ensuring compliance with the rules and regulations outlined to maintain a fair and thriving business environment. In cases where a business owner is found to be in breach of a business licensing condition, the Business Licensing Bureau has the authority to apply fines to the business owner as outlined in the penal code. However, recognizing the importance of due process, business owners have the right to appeal these fines if they believe they have been wrongly penalized or if they feel like they have a valid justification for the reason of the breach. Business owners will now be able to provide any evidence or documentation to support their case where they see fit. If you believe that you were wrongfully fined and wish to appeal it, you can appeal the fine by going to the Business Complaints Desk & Fine Appeal Desk . If you have any questions about the process, feel free to ask on the community letter box.
    Fine Appeal Information
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    INTRODUCTION
    • The Business Licensing Bureau is committed to ensuring compliance with the rules and regulations outlined to maintain a fair and thriving business environment. In cases where a business owner is found to be in breach of a business licensing condition, the Business Licensing Bureau has the authority to apply fines to the business owner as outlined in the penal code. However, recognizing the importance of due process, business owners have the right to appeal these fines if they believe they have been wrongly penalized or if they feel like they have a valid justification for the reason of the breach. Business owners will be able to provide any evidence or documentation to support their case where they see fit.
    REQUIREMENTS
    • You may appeal any Business Licensing Bureau fines, including citations, felonies & misdemeanors through the Business Licensing Bureau. The Business Licensing Bureau will try to acknowledge your appeal and will attempt to finish the appeal process within 72 hours of filing.

      You should note that, for your appeal application to be acknowledged by the Business Licensing Bureau, you must submit your appeal within seven (7) days of you receiving the fine.
    RELUGATIONS
    • If it is found that you did not have a justifiable reason for breaching the business licensing conditions, or you have not provided clear information or evidence to show your compliance with the conditions. You will be required to pay a fee of $10,000 to compensate for the Business Licensing Bureau's time, effort and resources used during the appeal process. This fine can be paid in cash at City Hall, it can be deducted from your next license payment or both. However, you may appeal any of the BLB felonies & misdemeanors through the Judicial Branch's Criminal Court appeal process only if you have filed an appeal through the Business Licensing Bureau and it has been denied.

      On the other hand, if it is found that you were in fact not in breach of any business licensing conditions. You will have the citation removed from your record and will be compensated for the fine you paid. If you were charged with a BLB felony or misdemeanor, you will have the charge removed from your record, you will be compensated for the fine you paid and you will be compensated for your time spent incarcerated at a rate of $200 per day. ((minute)) This will be reimbursed in cash or it can be added as credit going towards your next business license payment.
    SUBMITTING AN APPEAL
    • To submit an appeal, copy the format found below and create a new topic here in the Business Complaints Desk & Fine Appeal Desk with the naming format shown below.
        Title:

        Code: Select all

        [Fine Appeal] Business Name
          Format:
          ► Show Spoiler
      3. Updates to the Business Competition Policy
      • The Business Licensing Bureau stands behind the belief that market shares should be divided fairly among various different business owners in the State of San Andreas. In the past, the bureau has received a number of complaints from concerned citizens about the formation of monopolies. The previous Competition Policy aimed to prevent the formation of these monopolies, however, there were some loopholes which this updated policy will address.

        This updated policy is in no way an attempt to damage the current Parent Companies that are operating but to encourage competition within the different business markets. Previously, without these new restrictions, any Parent Company could take on as many businesses as subsidiaries as they wanted, essentially creating a monopoly with the ability to raise and lower the market prices as they liked. With this new updated policy (Section 4. PARENT COMPANIES) being implemented, Parent Companies will now have a limit on how many subsidiaries in each market they can have under them. Parent Companies will not be allowed to own/control more than 25% of the businesses operating within that specific market, see Section 4. PARENT COMPANIES for more information.

        With this being said, before the publication of this new policy, we made sure that all current Parent Companies would not suffer a severe loss due to this policy and none will. If you have any questions at all regarding the updates to this policy feel free to utilise the Community Letterbox
        Updated Business Competition Policy
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        1. GENERAL INFORMATION
        • 1. Introduction
          • 1.1 The San Andreas State Government has identified a requirement to introduce an official policy regarding Business Competition to prevent the formation of monopolies, avoid any form of price fixing in favour of business owners and generally encourage competition between businesses.
            This document is intended to serve as the official policy and provide guidelines for the San Andreas State Governments Business Competition Policy for both individuals and Parent Companies.
        2. POLICY PURPOSE AND SCOPE
        • 2.1 PURPOSE
          • 2.1.1 This policy establishes the guidelines the Business Licensing Bureau will use to manage competition between businesses and the identification and management of price fixing in favour of business owners.
          2.2 SCOPE
          • 2.2.1 This policy applies to all businesses that are essential to the States economy and are defined as:
            1. Vehicle Dealerships - Not Including Used Vehicle Dealerships
            2. Marine Vehicle Dealerships
            3. Aviation Dealerships
            4. Fuel Stations
            5. Marine Fuel Stations
            6. Aviation Fuel Stations
            7. Gun Stores
            8. General Stores
            9. Loan Companies
        3. BUSINESS REGISTRATION, LICENSING & OWNERSHIP
        • 3.1 BUSINESS REGISTRATION & LICENSING
          • 3.1.1 Business Owners can only register a maximum of one (1) of any of the defined businesses above.
            3.1.2 The property owner (primary business owner) ((scripted owner)) is the only person who can register the business.
            1. In joint ownership, the owners must agree on who the primary business owner will be on the property records.
            2. Transferring the business or the business property from one primary owner to another will invalidate the registration, and the new primary owner must submit a new one.
            3. Business Licenses will be invalidated, and a new application must be submitted if the registration is invalidated.
            3.1.3 The Business Licensing Bureau will reject all additional requests for registration of another defined business if the applicant has an existing registration for any of the defined businesses above
            3.1.4 Primary Business Owners must ensure they comply fully with the Business Registration Process & Licensing Process
          3.2. BUSINESS OWNERSHIP
          • 3.2.1 Business Owners may only be the primary business owner of one (1) of the defined business above.
            3.2.2 Primary Business Owners who wish to purchase a different type of defined business above must sell their existing business before taking ownership of their new business.
            3.2.3 In the event of joint ownership, the Licensing Bureau and the State Government will not take any responsibility or consideration for any internal agreements between each party.
        4. PARENT COMPANIES
        • Below outlines the specified thresholds that a parent company is limited to owning/controlling. Where a parent company is limited to having control of a maximum of 25% of the specific market.
        1. Fuel Retailers:
          1. No parent company shall own or control more than four (4) of the gas stations operating within the State of San Andreas.
          2. The limit applies to a parent company's direct and indirect ownership or control, including their subsidiaries.
        2. General Stores:
          1. No parent company shall own or control more than four (4) of the general stores operating within the State of San Andreas.
          2. The limit applies to a parent company's direct and indirect ownership or control, including their subsidiaries.
        3. Gun Stores:
          1. No parent company shall own or control more than two (2) of the gun stores operating within the State of San Andreas.
          2. The limit applies to a parent company's direct and indirect ownership or control, including their subsidiaries.
        4. Boat Dealerships:
          1. No parent company shall own or control more than one (1) of the boat dealerships operating within the State of San Andreas.
          2. The limit applies to a parent company's direct and indirect ownership or control, including their subsidiaries.
        5. Vehicle Retailers:
          1. No parent company shall own or control more than two (2) of the vehicle dealerships operating within the State of San Andreas.
          2. The limit applies to a parent company's direct and indirect ownership or control, including their subsidiaries.
        6. Loan Companies:
          1. No parent company shall own or control more than two (2) of the Loan Companies operating within the State of San Andreas.
          2. The limit applies to a parent company's direct and indirect ownership or control, including their subsidiaries.
        • While a parent company is allowed to be in control of more than one business, with a limit for each individual market, each individual subsidiary must be owned by a different person as outlined in section 3. BUSINESS REGISTRATION, LICENSING & OWNERSHIP
        5. PARENT COMPAINES ALREADY EXCEEDING THE LIMITS
        • 5.1 MULTIPLE BUSINESS OWNERS PRIOR TO 01/JUNE/2023
          • 5.1.1 All parent companies that currently exceed the specified ownership or control thresholds within any of the markets mentioned in section 4. PARENT COMPANIES shall be given a maximum of three (3) months to divest their excess subsidiaries and align with the established limits.

            5.1.2 After the three (3) month period is over, if any parent company still exceeds the limit, they will be contacted by the Business Licensing Bureau to inform them of this. They will be given two (2) weeks to divest their excess subsidiaries and align with the established limits.

            5.1.3 If there is no reasonable attempt by the parent company to divest the excess subsidiaries, the Business Licensing Bureau, on behalf of the San Andreas State Government, reserves the right to terminate their existing Business Registration and License.
          5. SIGNATURES
          • As written above, this policy is effective from 1/JUNE/2023.

            Signature: Image
            Name: Marc Ericsson
            Position: Director of Business Licensing Bureau
            Date: 26/May/2023

            Signature: Image
            Name: Lewis Langley
            Position: Governor
            Date: 26/May/2023
          In addition to this press release, the policy will be permanently posted in the Business Registration Desk and the Licensing Desk
        4. Introduction of a Private Investigations License
        • Over the past month, we have had a number of people express their interest in opening their own investigation firms. The licenses FSBL:08 - Private Investigations License has been created to facilitate just that. Any business or person that wants to offer any type of investigation services must obtain a Private Investigations License. It is important to note the Restrictions & Requirements and the Violations for this license as they are taken very seriously.
            FSBL:08 - Private Investigations License
            Any business or person that offers any type of investigation services must obtain a Private Investigations License.
            • License Fee:
              * The monthly license cost is $10,000

              Restrictions & Requirements:
              * Must have a way to store any documents securely.
              * Must strictly adhere to the limits and guidelines set forth in the Penal Code of the State of San Andreas.
              * All investigations must be conducted in accordance with the legal procedures outlined in the Penal Code of the State of San Andreas.

              Violations:
              * Conducting investigations beyond the authorized scope, such as forcefully gaining access to private property is considered a Moderate breach of licensing conditions.
              * 2 moderate offences are considered a Major breach of licensing conditions, along with a business termination.
              * Conducting illegal investigations, engaging in fraudulent practices, or violating the privacy of individuals is considered a Major breach of licensing conditions and will result in a business termination along with referral to the Attorney General's Office Or a law enforcement agency.

          • Image
            Marc Ericcson,
            Director | Business Licensing Bureau
            San Andreas State Government
            ✉ [email protected]


            Oliver Dutch,
            Intern | Public Relations Bureau
            San Andreas State Government
            ✉ [email protected]
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