THE BUILDING AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION WORKERS’ WELFARE CESS ACT, 1996

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THE BUILDING AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION WORKERS’ 

WELFARE CESS ACT, 1996 

ACT NO. 28 OF 1996 

[19th August, 1996.]  

An Act to provide for the levy and collection of a cess on the cost of construction incurred by 

employers with a view to augmenting the resources of the Building and Other Construction 

Workers’ Welfare Boards constituted under the Building and Other Construction Workers 

(Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996. 

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Forty-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:— 

1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Building and Other 

Construction Workers’ Welfare Cess Act, 1996. 

(2) It extends to the whole of India. 

(3) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 3rd day of November, 1995. 

2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— 

(a) “Board” means a Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board constituted by a 

State Government under sub-section (1) of section 18 of the Building and Other Construction 

Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 (27 of 1996); 

(b) “Fund” means the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Fund constituted by a 

Board; 

(c) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;  

(d) words and expressions used herein but not defined and defined in the Building and Other 

Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 (27 of 1996) 

shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in that Act. 

3. Levy and collection of cess.—(1) There shall be levied and collected a cess for the purposes of the 

Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 

1996 (27 of 1996), at such rate not exceeding two per cent. but not less than one per cent. of the cost of 

construction incurred by an employer, as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official 

Gazette, from time to time specify. 

(2) The cess levied under sub-section (1) shall be collected from every employer in such manner and 

at such time, including deduction at source in relation to a building or other construction work of a 

Government or of a public sector undertaking or advance collection through a local authority where an 

approval of such building or other construction work by such local authority is required, as may be 

prescribed. 

(3) The proceeds of the cess collected under sub-section (2) shall be paid by the local authority or the 

State Government collecting the cess to the Board after deducting the cost of collection of such cess not 

exceeding one per cent. of the amount collected. 

(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), the cess leviable under 

this Act including payment of such cess in advance may, subject to final assessment to be made, be 

collected at a uniform rate or rates as may be prescribed on the basis of the quantum of the building or 

other construction work involved. 

4. Furnishing of returns.—(1) Every employer shall furnish such return to such officer or authority, 

in such manner and at such time as may be prescribed. 

(2) If any person carrying on the building or other construction work, liable to pay the cess under 

section 3, fails to furnish any return under sub-section (1), the officer or the authority shall give a notice 

requiring such person to furnish such return before such date as may be specified in the notice.  



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5. Assessment of cess.—(1) The officer or authority to whom or to which the return has been 

furnished under section 4 shall, after making or causing to be made such inquiry as he or it thinks fit and 

after satisfying himself or itself that the particulars stated in the return are correct, by order, assess the 

amount of cess payable by the employer. 

(2) If the return has not been furnished to the officer or authority under sub-section (2) of section 4, 

he or it shall, after making or causing to be made such inquiry as he or it thinks fit, by order, assess the 

amount of cess payable by the employer. 

(3) An order of assessment made under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) shall specify the date within 

which the cess shall be paid by the employer. 

6. Power to exempt.—Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the Central Government may, 

by notification in the Official Gazette, exempt any employer or class of employers in a State from the 

payment of cess payable under this Act where such cess is already levied and payable under any 

corresponding law in force in that State.  

7. Power of entry.—Any officer or authority of the State Government specially empowered in this 

behalf by that Government may— 

(a) with such assistance, if any, as he or it may think fit, enter at any reasonable time any place 

where he or it considers it necessary to enter for carrying out the purposes of this Act including 

verification of the correctness of any particulars furnished by any employer under section 4; 

(b) do within such place anything necessary for the proper discharge of his or its duties under this 

Act; and 

(c) exercise such other powers as may be prescribed.  

8. Interest payable on delay in payment of cess.—If any employer fails to pay any amount of cess 

payable under section 3 within the time specified in the order of assessment, such employer shall be liable 

to pay interest on the amount to be paid at the rate of two per cent. for every month or part of a month 

comprised in the period from the date on which such payment is due till such amount is actually paid. 

9. Penalty for non-payment of cess within the specified time.—If any amount of cess payable by 

any employer under section 3 is not paid within the date specified in the order of assessment made under 

section 5, it shall be deemed to be in arrears and the authority prescribed in this behalf may, after making 

such inquiry as it deems fit, impose on such employer a penalty not exceeding the amount of cess: 

Provided that, before imposing any such penalty, such employer shall be given a reasonable 

opportunity of being heard and if after such hearing the said authority is satisfied that the default was for 

any good and sufficient reason, no penalty shall be imposed under this section. 

10. Recovery of amount due under the Act.—Any amount due under this Act (including any 

interest or penalty) from an employer may be recovered in the same manner as an arrear of land revenue. 

11. Appeals.—(1) Any employer aggrieved by an order of assessment made under section 5 or by an 

order imposing penalty made under section 9 may, within such time as may be prescribed, appeal to such 

appellate authority in such form and in such manner as may be prescribed. 

(2) Every appeal preferred under sub-section (1) shall be accompanied by such fees as may be 

prescribed. 

(3) After the receipt of any appeal under sub-section (1), the appellate authority shall, after giving the 

appellant an opportunity of being heard in the matter, dispose of the appeal as expeditiously as possible. 

(4) Every order passed in appeal under this section shall be final and shall not be called in question in 

any court of law. 

12. Penalty.—(1) Whoever, being under an obligation to furnish a return under this Act, furnishes 

any return knowing, or having reason to believe, the same to be false shall be punishable with 

imprisonment which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or 

with both.  



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(2) Whoever, being liable to pay cess under this Act, wilfully or intentionally evades or attempts to 

evade the payment of such cess shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to six months, 

or with fine, or with both. 

(3) No court shall take cognizance of an offence punishable under this section save on a complaint 

made by or under the authority of the Central Government. 

13. Offences by companies.—(1) Where an offence under this Act has been committed by a 

company, every person who, at the time the offence was committed, was in charge of, and was 

responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company, as well as the company, shall 

be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished 

accordingly:  

Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any such person liable to any 

punishment if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he had exercised 

all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence. 

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where an offence under this Act has been 

committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, 

manager, secretary or other officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer shall 

also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished 

accordingly. 

Explanation.—For the purposes of this section,— 

(a) “company” means any body corporate and includes a firm or other association of individuals; 

and 

(b) “director”, in relation to a firm, means a partner in the firm.  

14. Power to make rules.—(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, 

make rules for carrying out the provisions of this Act. 

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any 

of the following matters, namely:— 

(a) the manner in which and the time within which the cess shall be collected under  

sub-section (2) of section 3; 

(b) the rate or rates of advance cess leviable under sub-section (4) of section 3; 

(c) the particulars of the returns to be furnished, the officer or authority to whom or to which such 

returns shall be furnished and the manner and time of furnishing such returns under sub-section (1) of 

section 4; 

(d) the powers which may be exercised by the officer or authority under section 7; 

(e) the authority which may impose penalty under section 9; 

(f) the authority to which an appeal may be filed under sub-section (1) of section 11 and the time 

within which and the form and manner in which such appeal may be filed; 

(g) the fees which shall accompany an appeal under sub-section (2) of section 11; and 

(h) any other matter which has to be, or may be, prescribed. 

(3) Every rule made under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House 

of Parliament, while it is in session for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one 

session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately 

following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification 

in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only 

in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or 

annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.   



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15. Repeal and saving.—(1) The Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Cess Third 

Ordinance, 1996 (Ord. 26 of 1996), is hereby repealed. 

(2) Notwithstanding such repeal, anything done or any action taken under the said Ordinance shall be 

deemed to have been done or taken under the corresponding provisions of this Act.