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As many people are now aware, the government has implemented the Swachh Bharat cess on services from 5.6% to 5.8% from Nov 15, that is today.

The objective of the cess is to raise funds for Swachh Bharat. The funds raised will be used to build toilets to ensure open defecation is a thing of the past.

The cess is applicable at 0.5% on all taxable service. This will translate into a tax of 50 paisa only on every one hundred rupees worth of taxable services. For restaurants or eating joints having air-conditioning facility, the cess would be 0.5 per cent of 40 per cent of the billed amount i.e 0.2 per cent, which translates to 5.8% service tax rate on the service amount.

However, there could be some teething problems in the implementation of this new rate. We request all consumers to demand a receipt for all services they are paying for, and to ensure that service providers are charging this tax at the correct rate.

We also request consumers to stay vigilant and ensure that they are not being overcharged or double taxed.