Swachh Bharat Cess

Recently Central Govt imposed a "Swachh Bharat cess". I read about it first in the newspaper-headlines as "Eating out, travelling and phone calls to get costlier from today". Naturally I got worried. The next day they wrote articles all over saying "Swachh Bharat Cess Is A Terrible Idea" etc. I got more worried. Then today after taking a taxi ride, I saw that I had to pay 38 paisa as "Swachh Bharat cess". 

I felt like "cheated"! After all, I was expecting this tax to really 'tax' me! Why should I be first made to believe that some grand injustice has been done in the name of Swachh Bharat and then in the end it should turn out to be just some coins?

I read that the funds collected through this cess will be used for construction of "toilets". Though the cess is only 0.5% of taxable services, Govt will get Rs 3700 crore through it this fiscal and around Rs 10000 crore in FY 2016-17. So it seems to be a very good idea. 

I can live without a few coins every once in a while in order to help make toilets in our country.

- Rahul