Cess (pronounced /sɛs/) is a tax - generally one levied for promoting services like health and education.
[2] "Cess" (Irish: cis, possibly from Latin census) was an official term used in Ireland from at least the 16th century[3] and when that country formed part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, but has been superseded by "rate".
[2] In the British Raj the term was applied, with a qualifying prefix, to any taxation, such as irrigation-cess and educational-cess.
[5] In Scotland, "cess" refers to the property tax that was enacted there in 1665 and continued to be levied until the 18th century.
The word has also been used by the Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to denote a tariff on imports.