Indirect tax base grew 50% since the GST roll-out, says Economic Survey

Budget 2018

Bolstered by sharp increase in the tax base, goods and offerings tax (GST) revenue mop-up has been ‘surprisingly robust’ no matter ‘teething difficulties’, stated the Economic Survey 2017-18.

The oblique tax base grew 50 in line with cent for the reason that GST roll-out, led with the aid of a massive increase in registrations, particularly by small enterprises. The demonetisation of high-price currency notes in November 2016 ended in widening of taxpayers’ base, the Survey stated.

As of December 2017, there had been 9.eight million unique GST registrants, slightly extra than oblique tax registrants underneath the sooner machine. despite the fact that now not similar, GST has increased the wide variety of particular oblique taxpayers by extra than 50 consistent with cent, a big 3.4 million. “the two numbers are not comparable. Registrants inside the antique gadget were not precise, seeing that many taxpayers were registered beneath numerous taxes,” the Survey stated.

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat have the biggest number of GST registrants.

Annual GST collection for 2017-18, based totally on the 5-month common till November, turned into Rs 10.five trillion, that's 8.2 according to cent better than indirect tax collections ultimate yr of Centre and states combined, said the Survey, tabled in Parliament on Monday.

The Survey highlighted that there has been a potential of 12 per cent growth in GST sales inside the modern-day monetary year to Rs 10.nine trillion if multiple additional elements have been taken into consideration. this sort of changed into equalising nation GST with primary GST.

Significant GST collections had been decrease than state GST collections due to higher refunds at the imperative stage on pre-GST shares.

After months of slide, GST collections picked up barely in December to Rs 867 billion. Amid slowing revenue, the GST Council had in its previous assembly determined to provisionally divide Rs 350 billion gathered as incorporated GST between the Centre and states.

The casual zone became the most stricken by GST implementation. “The government can even need to stabilise GST implementation to do away with uncertainty for exporters, facilitate less difficult compliance and boom the tax base,” the Survey stated.