<h1>Swachh Bharat Cess Introduced: 0.5% Levy on Taxable Services, Effective November 15, 2015, for Clean India Initiatives.</h1> The Swachh Bharat Cess (SBC) was introduced as per Chapter VI of the Finance Act, 2015, effective from November 15, 2015, imposing a 0.5% levy on all taxable services. This cess is in addition to existing service taxes, raising the combined rate to 14.5%. The funds collected are allocated to Swachh Bharat initiatives. SBC is not applicable to exempted or negative list services and requires separate accounting. It cannot be integrated into the Cenvat Credit chain. The cess is calculated similarly to service tax and is applicable to services under reverse charge and abatement provisions.