MEGA EXEMPTION

[TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE GAZZETE OF INDIA, EXTRAORDINARY, PART II,

SECTION 3, SUB-SECTION (i)]

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

(Department of Revenue)

Notification No. 25/2012-Service Tax

New Delhi, the 20th June, 2012

G.S.R……(E).- In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 93 of

the Finance Act, 1994 (32 of 1994) (hereinafter referred to as the said Act) and in

supersession of notification number 12/2012- Service Tax, dated the 17th March, 2012,

published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i) vide

number G.S.R. 210 (E), dated the 17th March, 2012, the Central Government, being satisfied

that it is necessary in the public interest so to do, hereby exempts the following taxable

services from the whole of the service tax leviable thereon under section 66B of the said Act,

namely:-

1. Services provided to the United Nations or a specified international organization;

2. Health care serv ices by a clinical establishment, an authorised medical practitioner or para-medics;

3. Serv ices by a v eterinary clinic in relation to health care of animals or birds;

4. Serv ices by an entity registered under section 1 2AA of the Income tax Act, 1 961 (43 of 1 961 ) by way

of charitable activ ities;

5. Serv ices by a person by way of-

(a) renting of precincts of a religious place meant for general public; or

(b) conduct of any religious ceremony ;

6, Services provided by-

(a) an arbitral tribunal to -

(i) any person other than a business entity; or

(ii) a business entity with a turnover up to rupees ten lakh in the preceding financial

year;

(b) an individual as an advocate or a partnership firm of advocates by way of legal

services to,-

(i) an advocate or partnership firm of advocates providing legal services ;

(ii) any person other than a business entity; or

(iii) a business entity with a turnover up to rupees ten lakh in the preceding

financial year; or

(c) a person represented on an arbitral tribunal to an arbitral tribunal;

7. Services by way of technical testing or analysis of newly developed drugs, including

vaccines and herbal remedies, on human participants by a clinical research organisation

approved to conduct clinical trials by the Drug Controller General of India;

8. Services by way of training or coaching in recreational activities relating to arts, culture or

sports;

9. Services provided to or by an educational institution in respect of education exempted

from service tax, by way of,-

(a) auxiliary educational services; or

(b) renting of immovable property;

10. Services provided to a recognised sports body by-

(a) an individual as a player, referee, umpire, coach or team manager for participation in

a sporting event organized by a recognized sports body;

(b) another recognised sports body;

11. Services by way of sponsorship of sporting events organised,-

(a) by a national sports federation, or its affiliated federations, where the

participating teams or individuals represent any district, state or zone;

(b) by Association of Indian Universities, Inter-University Sports Board,

School Games Federation of India, All India Sports Council for the Deaf,

Paralympic Committee of India or Special Olympics Bharat;

(c) by Central Civil Services Cultural and Sports Board;

(d) as part of national games, by Indian Olympic Association; or

(e) under Panchayat Yuva Kreeda Aur Khel Abhiyaan (PYKKA) Scheme;

1 2. Serv ices prov ided to the Gov ernment, a local authority or a gov ernmental authority by way of

construction, erection, commissioning, installation, completion, fitting out, repair, maintenance,

renov ation, or alteration of -

(a) a civil structure or any other original works meant predominantly for use other than

for commerce, industry, or any other business or profession;

(b) a historical monument, archaeological site or remains of national importance,

archaeological excavation, or antiquity specified under the Ancient Monuments and

Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (24 of 1958);

(c) a structure meant predominantly for use as (i) an educational, (ii) a clinical, or (iii)

an art or cultural establishment;

(d) canal, dam or other irrigation works;

(e) pipeline, conduit or plant for (i) water supply (ii) water treatment, or (iii) sewerage

treatment or disposal; or

 (f) a residential complex predominantly meant for self-use or the use of their employees

or other persons specified in the Explanation 1 to clause 44 of section 65 B of the said

Act;

13. Services provided by way of construction, erection, commissioning, installation,

completion, fitting out, repair, maintenance, renovation, or alteration of,-

(a) a road, bridge, tunnel, or terminal for road transportation for use by general public;

(b) a civil structure or any other original works pertaining to a scheme under

Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission or Rajiv Awaas Yojana;

(c) a building owned by an entity registered under section 12 AA of the Income tax Act,

1961(43 of 1961) and meant predominantly for religious use by general public;

(d) a pollution control or effluent treatment plant, except located as a part of a factory;

or

a structure meant for funeral, burial or cremation of deceased;

1 4. Serv ices by way of construction, erection, commissioning, or installation of original works pertaining

to,-

(a) an airport, port or railways, including monorail or metro;

(b) a single residential unit otherwise than as a part of a residential complex ;

(c) low- cost houses up to a carpet area of 60 square metres per house in a housing project approv ed

by competent authority empowered under the ‘Scheme of Affordable Housing in Partnership’

framed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Pov erty Allev iation, Gov ernment of India;

(d) post- harv est storage infrastructure for agricultural produce including a cold storages for such

purposes; or

(e) mechanised food grain handling sy stem, machinery or equipment for units processing

agricultural produce as food stuff ex cluding alcoholic bev erages;

15. Temporary transfer or permitting the use or enjoyment of a copyright covered under

clauses (a) or (b) of sub-section (1) of section 13 of the Indian Copyright Act, 1957 (14 of

1957), relating to original literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works or cinematograph

films;

16. Services by a performing artist in folk or classical art forms of (i) music, or (ii) dance, or

(iii) theatre, excluding services provided by such artist as a brand ambassador;

17. Services by way of collecting or providing news by an independent journalist, Press Trust

of India or United News of India;

18. Services by way of renting of a hotel, inn, guest house, club, campsite or other commercial

places meant for residential or lodging purposes, having declared tariff of a unit of

accommodation below rupees one thousand per day or equivalent;

19. Services provided in relation to serving of food or beverages by a restaurant, eating joint

or a mess, other than those having (i) the facility of air-conditioning or central air-heating

in any part of the establishment, at any time during the year, and (ii) a licence to serve

alcoholic beverages;

20. Services by way of transportation by rail or a vessel from one place in India to another of

the following goods -

(a) petroleum and petroleum products falling under Chapter heading 2710 and 2711 of

the First Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 (5 of 1986);

(b) relief materials meant for victims of natural or man-made disasters, calamities,

accidents or mishap;

(c) defence or military equipments;

(d) postal mail or mail bags;

(e) household effects;

(f) newspaper or magazines registered with the Registrar of Newspapers;

(g) railway equipments or materials;

(h) agricultural produce;

(i) foodstuff including flours, tea, coffee, jaggery, sugar, milk products, salt and edible oil,

excluding alcoholic beverages; or

(j) chemical fertilizer and oilcakes;

21. Services provided by a goods transport agency by way of transportation of -

(a) fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, food grains or pulses in a goods carriage;

(b) goods where gross amount charged for the transportation of goods on a consignment

transported in a single goods carriage does not exceed one thousand five hundred

rupees; or

(c) goods, where gross amount charged for transportation of all such goods for a single

consignee in the goods carriage does not exceed rupees seven hundred fifty;

22. Serv ices by way of giv ing on hire -

(a) to a state transport undertaking, a motor vehicle meant to carry more than twelve

passengers; or

(b) to a goods transport agency, a means of transportation of goods;

23. Transport of passengers, with or without accompanied belongings, by -

(a) air, embarking from or terminating in an airport located in the state of Arunachal

Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, or Tripura or at

Bagdogra located in West Bengal;

(b) a contract carriage for the transportation of passengers, excluding tourism, conducted

tour, charter or hire; or

 (c) ropeway, cable car or aerial tramway;

24. Services by way of vehicle parking to general public excluding leasing of space to an entity

for providing such parking facility;

25. Services provided to Government, a local authority or a governmental authority by way

of -

(a) carrying out any activity in relation to any function ordinarily entrusted to a

municipality in relation to water supply, public health, sanitation conservancy, solid

waste management or slum improvement and upgradation; or

(b) repair or maintenance of a vessel or an aircraft;

26. Services of general insurance business provided under following schemes -

(a) Hut Insurance Scheme;

(b) Cattle Insurance under Swarnajaynti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (earlier known as

Integrated Rural Development Programme);

(c) Scheme for Insurance of Tribals;

(d) Janata Personal Accident Policy and Gramin Accident Policy;

(e) Group Personal Accident Policy for Self-Employed Women;

(f) Agricultural Pumpset and Failed Well Insurance;

(g) premia collected on export credit insurance;

(h) Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme or the Modified National Agricultural

Insurance Scheme, approved by the Government of India and implemented by the

Ministry of Agriculture;

(i) Jan Arogya Bima Policy;

(j) National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (Rashtriya Krishi Bima Yojana);

(k) Pilot Scheme on Seed Crop Insurance;

(l) Central Sector Scheme on Cattle Insurance;

(m) Universal Health Insurance Scheme;

(n) Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana; or

(o) Coconut Palm Insurance Scheme;

27. Services provided by an incubatee up to a total turnover of fifty lakh rupees in a financial

year subject to the following conditions, namely:-

(a) the total turnover had not exceeded fifty lakh rupees during the preceding financial

year; and

(b) a period of three years has not been elapsed from the date of entering into an

agreement as an incubatee;

28. Service by an unincorporated body or a non- profit entity registered under any law for

the time being in force, to its own members by way of reimbursement of charges or share

of contribution -

 (a) as a trade union;

(b) for the provision of carrying out any activity which is exempt from the levy of service

tax; or

(c) up to an amount of five thousand rupees per month per member for sourcing of goods

or services from a third person for the common use of its members in a housing society

or a residential complex;

29. Services by the following persons in respective capacities -

(a) sub-broker or an authorised person to a stock broker;

(b) authorised person to a member of a commodity exchange;

(c) mutual fund agent to a mutual fund or asset management company;

(d) distributor to a mutual fund or asset management company;

(e) selling or marketing agent of lottery tickets to a distributer or a selling agent;

(f) selling agent or a distributer of SIM cards or recharge coupon vouchers;

(g) business facilitator or a business correspondent to a banking company or an insurance

company, in a rural area; or

(h) sub-contractor providing services by way of works contract to another contractor

providing works contract services which are exempt;

30. Carrying out an intermediate production process as job work in relation to -

(a) agriculture, printing or textile processing;

(b) cut and polished diamonds and gemstones; or plain and studded jewellery of gold and

other precious metals, falling under Chapter 71 of the Central Excise Tariff Act ,1985

(5 of 1986);

(c) any goods on which appropriate duty is payable by the principal manufacturer; or

(d) processes of electroplating, zinc plating, anodizing, heat treatment, powder coating,

painting including spray painting or auto black, during the course of manufacture

of parts of cycles or sewing machines upto an aggregate value of taxable service of the

specified processes of one hundred and fifty lakh rupees in a financial year subject to

the condition that such aggregate value had not exceeded one hundred and fifty lakh

rupees during the preceding financial year;

31. Services by an organiser to any person in respect of a business exhibition held outside

India;

32. Services by way of making telephone calls from -

(a) departmentally run public telephone;

 (b) guaranteed public telephone operating only for local calls; or

(c) free telephone at airport and hospital where no bills are being issued;

33. Services by way of slaughtering of bovine animals;

34. Services received from a provider of service located in a non- taxable territory by -

(a) Government, a local authority, a governmental authority or an individual in relation to

any purpose other than commerce, industry or any other business or profession;

(b) an entity registered under section 12AA of the Income tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961) for

the purposes of providing charitable activities; or

(c) a person located in a non-taxable territory;

35. Services of public libraries by way of lending of books, publications or any other

knowledge- enhancing content or material;

36. Services by Employees’ State Insurance Corporation to persons governed under the

Employees’ Insurance Act, 1948 (34 of 1948);

37. Services by way of transfer of a going concern, as a whole or an independent part thereof;

38. Services by way of public conveniences such as provision of facilities of bathroom,

washrooms, lavatories, urinal or toilets;

39. Services by a governmental authority by way of any activity in relation to any function

entrusted to a municipality under article 243 W of the Constitution.

2. Definitions. - For the purpose of this notification, unless the context otherwise requires, –

(a) “Advocate” has the meaning assigned to it in clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of

the Advocates Act, 1961 ( 25 of 1961);

(b) “appropriate duty” means duty payable on manufacture or production under a Central

Act or a State Act, but shall not include ‘Nil’ rate of duty or duty wholly exempt;

(c) “arbitral tribunal” has the meaning assigned to it in clause (d) of section 2 of the

Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (26 of 1996);

(d) “authorised medical practitioner” means a medical practitioner registered with any of

the councils of the recognised system of medicines established or recognized by law in India

and includes a medical professional having the requisite qualification to practice in any

recognised system of medicines in India as per any law for the time being in force;

(e) "authorised person” means any person who is appointed as such either by a stock broker

(including trading member) or by a member of a commodity exchange and who provides

access to trading platform of a stock exchange or a commodity exchange as an agent of such

stock broker or member of a commodity exchange;

(f) “auxiliary educational services” means any services relating to imparting any skill,

knowledge, education or development of course content or any other knowledge

enhancement activity, whether for the students or the faculty, or any other services which

educational institutions ordinarily carry out themselves but may obtain as outsourced

services from any other person, including services relating to admission to such institution,

conduct of examination, catering for the students under any mid-day meals scheme

sponsored by Government, or transportation of students, faculty or staff of such institution;

(g) “banking company” has the meaning assigned to it in clause (a) of section 45A of the

Reserve Bank of India Act,1934(2 of 1934);

(h) “brand ambassador” means a person engaged for promotion or marketing of a brand of

goods, service, property or actionable claim, event or endorsement of name, including a trade

name, logo or house mark of any person;

(i) “business facilitator or business correspondent” means an intermediary appointed under

the business facilitator model or the business correspondent model by a banking company or

an insurance company under the guidelines issued by Reserve Bank of India;

(j) "clinical establishment" means a hospital, nursing home, clinic, sanatorium or any other

institution by, whatever name called, that offers services or facilities requiring diagnosis or

treatment or care for illness, injury, deformity, abnormality or pregnancy in any recognised

system of medicines in India, or a place established as an independent entity or a part of an

establishment to carry out diagnostic or investigative services of diseases;

(k) “charitable activities” means activities relating to -

(i) public health by way of -

(a) care or counseling of (i) terminally ill persons or persons with sev ere phy sical or

mental disability , (ii) persons afflicted with HIV or AIDS, or (iii) persons addicted

to a dependence-forming substance such as narcotics drugs or alcohol; or

(b) public awareness of prev entiv e health, family planning or prev ention of HIV

infection;

(ii) adv ancement of religion or spirituality ;

(iii) adv ancement of educational programmes or skill dev elopment relating to,-

(a) abandoned, orphaned or homeless children;

(b) phy sically or mentally abused and traumatized persons;

(c) prisoners; or

(d) persons ov er the age of 65 y ears residing in a rural area;

(iv ) preserv ation of env ironment including watershed, forests and wildlife; or

(v) advancement of any other object of general public utility up to a value of,-

(a) eighteen lakh and seventy five thousand rupees for the year 2012-13

subject to the condition that total value of such activities had not exceeded

twenty five lakhs rupees during 2011-12;

(b) twenty five lakh rupees in any other financial year subject to the condition

that total value of such activities had not exceeded twenty five lakhs rupees

during the preceding financial year;

 (l) “commodity exchange” means an association as defined in section 2 (j) and recognized

under section 6 of the Forward Contracts (Regulation) Act,1952 (74 of 1952);

(m) “contract carriage” has the meaning assigned to it in clause (7) of section 2 of the Motor

Vehicles Act, 1988 (59 of 1988);

(n)“declared tariff” includes charges for all amenities provided in the unit of accommodation

(given on rent for stay) like furniture, air-conditioner, refrigerators or any other amenities,

but without excluding any discount offered on the published charges for such unit;

(o) “distributor or selling agent” has the meaning assigned to them in clause (c) of the rule 2

of the Lottery (Regulation) Rules, 2010 notified by the Government of India in the Ministry

of Home Affairs, published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part-II, Section 3, Subsection

(i), vide number G.S.R. 278(E), dated the 1st April, 2010 and shall include distributor

or selling agent authorised by the lottery- organising State;

(p) "general insurance business" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (g) of section 3 of

General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Act, 1972 (57 of 1972);

(q)“general public” means the body of people at large sufficiently defined by some common

quality of public or impersonal nature;

(r)“goods carriage” has the meaning assigned to it in clause (14) of section 2 of the Motor

Vehicles Act, 1988 (59 of 1988);

(s) “governmental authority’’ means a board, or an authority or any other body established

with 90% or more participation by way of equity or control by Government and set up by an

Act of the Parliament or a State Legislature to carry out any function entrusted to a

municipality under article 243W of the Constitution;

(t) “health care services” means any service by way of diagnosis or treatment or care for

illness, injury, deformity, abnormality or pregnancy in any recognised system of medicines in

India and includes services by way of transportation of the patient to and from a clinical

establishment, but does not include hair transplant or cosmetic or plastic surgery, except

when undertaken to restore or to reconstruct anatomy or functions of body affected due to

congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, injury or trauma;

(u) “incubatee” means an entrepreneur located within the premises of a Technology Business

Incubator (TBI) or Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Park (STEP) recognised by the

National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) of the

Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and who has entered into an

agreement with the TBI or the STEP to enable himself to develop and produce hi-tech and

innovative products;

(v)“insurance company” means a company carrying on life insurance business or general insurance business;

(w)“legal service” means any service provided in relation to advice, consultancy or assistance

in any branch of law, in any manner and includes representational services before any court,

tribunal or authority;

(x)“life insurance business” has the meaning assigned to it in clause (11) of section 2 of the

Insurance Act, 1938 (4 of 1938);

(y) “original works” means has the meaning assigned to it in Rule 2A of the Service Tax

(Determination of Value) Rules, 2006;

(z) “principal manufacturer” means any person who gets goods manufactured or processed

on his account from another person;

(za) “recognized sports body” means - (i) the Indian Olympic Association, (ii) Sports

Authority of India, (iii) a national sports federation recognised by the Ministry of Sports and

Youth Affairs of the Central Government, and its affiliate federations, (iv) national sports

promotion organisations recognised by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs of the Central Government,

(v) the International Olympic Association or a federation recognised by the International Olympic Association or (vi) a federation or a body which regulates a sport at international level and its affiliated federations or bodies regulating a sport in India;

(zb) “religious place” means a place which is primarily meant for conduct of prayers or worship pertaining to a religion, meditation, or spirituality;

(zc) “residential complex” means any complex comprising of a building or buildings, having more than one single residential unit;

(zd)“rural area” means the area comprised in a village as defined in land revenue records, excluding the area under any municipal committee, municipal corporation, town area committee, cantonment board or notified area committee; or any area that may be notified as an urban area by the Central Government or a State Government;

(ze)“single residential unit” means a self-contained residential unit which is designed for use, wholly or principally, for residential purposes for one family;

(zf) "specified international organization" means an international organization declared by the Central Government in pursuance of section 3 of the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947 (46 of 1947), to which the provisions of the Schedule to the said Act apply;

(zg)"state transport undertaking" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (42) of section 2 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (59 of 1988);

(zh)"sub-broker" has the meaning assigned to it in sub-clause (gc) of clause 2 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Stock Brokers and Sub-brokers) Regulations, 1992;

(zi) “trade union” has the meaning assigned to it in clause (h) of section 2 of the Trade Unions Act,1926(16 of 1926).

3. This notification shall come into force on the 1st day of July, 2012.

[F. No.334/1/2012 -TRU]

(Rajkumar Digvijay)

Under Secretary to the Government of India