Service Tax - Introduction

Service Tax - Today

Pay Your Tax Honestly

Introduction

Service tax, as the term denotes, was being levied on specified services rendered in India and the responsibility of payment of this tax was on the service provider. As provided by the Finance Act, 2001 the service providers were expected to make self-assessment of the tax and file the returns on a half yearly basis. The Directorate of Service Tax with its Headquarters at Mumbai controlled the activities for technical support as well as policy formulations.

Legal Provisions

Empowered under section 67 of the Finance Act, 1994, the provisions relating to the levy and collection of service tax were brought into force with effect from 1st July 1994. The provisions extended to the whole of India except the state of Jammu & Kashmir.

Service Tax Rates

The rate of service tax with effect from the 1st June, 2015 was 14%. 2% Primary Education Cess and 1% Secondary & Higher Secondary Education Cess on the amount of service tax was dispensed with.

Administrative Mechanism

Service Tax was being administered by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) through the Central Excise Commissionerates working under it. Corporate assessees were given the liberty to pay tax on the value of taxable service provided by them in a month, by the 25th of the following month while the individual assessees were required to pay the levy only once in a quarter. Returns were required to be filed half yearly and by the 25th of the month following the half-year.

Penal Provisions

Failure to obtain registrations, failure to pay the tax, failure to furnish the prescribed returns, suppression of the correct value of the taxable services and failure to comply with notice attracted penal provisions. But, it was specifically provided that no penalty was imposable on the assessee for any of the above failures, if the assessee proves that there was reasonable cause for the failure. Provisions, under sections 87 to 93 of the Finance Act, 1994, were also provided for prosecution of offenders. However, these provisions were subsequently withdrawn.

Note : This tax has been subsumed in the CGST after the introduction of GST w.e.f. 01-07-2017.