Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman revealed that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection has consistently increased annually since its implementation on July 1, 2017. In a written response to a Lok Sabha inquiry, she stated that the average monthly GST collection for the current fiscal year is Rs 1.66 lakh crore, reflecting an 11% growth compared to the same period in the previous financial year. The collection surpassed Rs 1.50 lakh crore every month in the current fiscal, reaching a peak of Rs 1.87 lakh crore in April 2023.
The average monthly GST collection in 2022-23 exceeded Rs 1.50 lakh crore, up from Rs 1.23 lakh crore in 2021-22 and Rs 94,734 crore in 2020-21. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary stated in response to another question that the monthly average gross GST collection showed a 30% year-on-year growth for 2021-22 and a 22% growth for 2022-23.
Chaudhary emphasized that the government, following GST Council recommendations, has implemented various reforms to enhance GST compliance and boost collection. These measures include structural changes like adjusting GST rates, enhancing tax compliance through initiatives such as e-way bills, ITC matching, and e-invoicing, and utilizing technology like artificial intelligence for enforcement. The government is actively addressing non-compliance issues through actions such as calibrated responses to non-filers and sharing system-generated red flag reports with tax authorities.
In response to a different question, Chaudhary highlighted that the central government, based on GST Council recommendations, has established State Benches of GST Appellate Tribunals. Regarding pending appeals related to tax demands by Central GST authorities, he noted an increase from 11,899 appeals as of March 31, 2023, to 14,897 appeals as of October 31, 2023.