New Delhi, July 1 (IANS): India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection rose to Rs 1.85 lakh crore during June this year, marking a 6.2 per cent increase compared to the same month of the previous year, according to official data released on Tuesday.

Although collections registered a robust growth to remain above Rs 1.8 lakh crore, they were lower than the all-time high of Rs 2.37 lakh crore recorded in April and Rs 2.01 lakh crore in May.

As GST completes 8 years of its rollout on Tuesday, the government said that the collections have doubled over the past five years to reach a record Rs 22.08 lakh crore in FY25, up from Rs 11.37 lakh crore in FY21.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that eight years after GST was introduced on July 1, 2017, it stands out as a landmark reform that has reshaped India’s economic landscape.

“By reducing the compliance burden, it has greatly improved the Ease of Doing Business, particularly for small and medium enterprises. GST has also served as a powerful engine for economic growth, while fostering true cooperative federalism by making states equal partners in this journey to integrate India’s market,” the Prime Minister said in a statement on X.

The number of taxpayers has more than doubled from 60 lakh to over 1.51 crore over the last 8 years under the GST regime.

The average monthly collection stood at Rs 1.84 lakh crore in 2024-25, a blockbuster year. In 2020–21, the total collection was Rs 11.37 lakh crore, with a monthly average of Rs 95,000 crore. The following year, it rose to Rs 14.83 lakh crore, and then to Rs 18.08 lakh crore in 2022–23. In 2023–24, GST collections reached Rs 20.18 lakh crore, showing consistent growth in compliance and economic activity.

The One-Nation One-Tax made tax compliance easier, reduced costs for businesses, and allowed goods to move freely across states. It brought together a wide range of indirect taxes under one umbrella by replacing levies like excise duty, service tax, VAT and others. This helped remove the cascading effect of taxes and brought consistency in the tax system across the country.

According to a Deloitte survey, 85 per cent of taxpayers have reported “a positive experience with GST” and view it as a more simplified and transparent tax process that facilitated the ease of doing business.

A study by the Finance Ministry noted that GST helped households save at least four per cent on monthly expenses in total. Consumers now spend less on daily necessities.

GST has also transformed the logistics industry. Long queues of trucks at state borders and corruption-prone checkpoints have become a thing of the past. Goods now move faster and more freely across state lines.

Transport time has improved by over 33 per cent, according to several studies. Companies have cut down on fuel costs, and major highways are less congested.

–IANS

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