GST revenue growth slowed to 10.2% in September
The HinduGrowth in India’s gross Goods and Services Tax revenues slowed to a 27-month low of 10.2% in September, from around 10.8% in the previous two months. While the Finance Ministry did not specify the extent of decline in its statement, back-of-the-envelope calculations show that GST revenues from goods imports dropped 0.11% from last September. Slowest growth in 27 months The last time that GST revenues grew at a slower pace was in June 2021, when collections rose a mere 2% amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month’s GST revenues, based on transactions carried out in August, included Central GST collections of ₹29,818 crore, State GST of ₹37,657 crore, and Integrated GST of ₹83,623 crore, which included ₹41,145 crore collected on the import of goods. Settling pending dues A part of the rise in September’s revenues could have been spurred by businesses settling pending tax dues since the start of the GST regime in 2017-18, tax experts reckoned.