New Delhi: India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for October reached approximately ₹1.95 lakh crore, marking a 4.6% year-on-year increase from ₹1.87 lakh crore recorded in the same month last year, according to official data released on Saturday.
The rise was driven by higher collections across Central-GST (CGST), State-GST (SGST), and Integrated-GST (IGST), while cess revenue saw a slight year-on-year dip. For the first seven months of the 2025–26 fiscal year (April to October), total GST collections stood at ₹13.89 lakh crore, up 9% from ₹12.74 lakh crore during the same period last year.
The steady growth in tax collections reflects strong economic activity and improved compliance mechanisms under the reformed GST regime. India’s GST system achieved a major milestone in 2024–25, recording a historic gross collection of ₹22.08 lakh crore, representing a 9.4% increase over the previous year. The average monthly collection during the fiscal year stood at ₹1.84 lakh crore—the highest since GST’s introduction in 2017.
Over the years, GST revenues have shown consistent growth—from ₹11.37 lakh crore in 2020–21 to ₹20.18 lakh crore in 2023–24—indicating the robustness of India’s post-pandemic economic recovery.
The GST Council, chaired by the Union Finance Minister and comprising state finance ministers and senior officials, has been instrumental in shaping the tax regime. Since its inception in 2016, the Council has met 55 times, introducing several policy measures to simplify and modernize the GST framework.
A major step came on September 3 this year, when the Council implemented next-generation GST rationalization. Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address, the Council reduced the GST rate structure from four slabs (5%, 12%, 18%, 28%) to two principal rates—5% (merit rate) and 18% (standard rate)—along with a 40% special rate for sin and luxury goods.
These changes, effective from September 22, the first day of Navratri, are aimed at lowering the tax burden on citizens and driving economic growth through a simpler, more efficient tax system.
