#Budget 2016- Enabling provision for levy of “Krishi Kalyan Cess”:
Krishi Kalyan Cess is proposed to be levied with effect from 1st June, 2016 on any or all the taxable services at the rate of 0.5% on the value of such taxable services. Credit of Krishi Kalyan Cess paid on input services shall be allowed to be used for payment of the proposed Cess on the service provided by a service provider.
Clause 158 of Finance Bill 2016
Krishi Kalyan Cess- Clause 158 of the Bill seeks to insert new Chapter-VI so as to levy a cess to be called the Krishi Kalyan Cess, as service tax on all or any of the taxable services for the purposes of the Union for financing and promoting initiatives to improve agriculture or for any other purpose relating thereto.
Extract from Finance Bill 2016
158. (1) This Chapter shall come into force on the 1st day of June, 2016. Krishi Kalyan Cess.
(2) There shall be levied and collected in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter, a cess to be called the Krishi Kalyan Cess, as service tax on all or any of the taxable services at the rate of 0.5 per cent. on the value of such services for the purposes of financing and promoting initiatives to improve agriculture or for any other purpose relating thereto.
(3) The Krishi Kalyan Cess leviable under sub-section (2) shall be in addition to any cess or service tax leviable on such taxable services under Chapter V of the Finance Act, 1994, or under any other law for the time being in force.
(4) The proceeds of the Krishi Kalyan Cess levied under sub-section (2) shall first be credited to the Consolidated Fund of India and the Central Government may, after due appropriation made by Parliament by law in this behalf, utilise such sums of money of the Krishi Kalyan Cess for such purposes specified in sub-section (2), as it may consider necessary.
(5) The provisions of Chapter V of the Finance Act, 1994 and the rules made thereunder, including those relating to refunds and exemptions from tax, interest and imposition of penalty shall, as far as may be, apply in relation to the levy and collection of the Krishi Kalyan Cess on taxable services, as they apply in relation to the levy and collection of tax on such taxable services under the said Chapter or the rules made thereunder, as the case may be.
There is virtual increase service tax from 12% to 15% by present Govt which includes cesses like Swatch Bhart and Krishi Kalyan cess. Collecting taxes in the of various cess instead of one unifies rate of services tax increase unnecessary compliance cost. . Govt should make service tax rate of !5% to reduce unnecessary work .