SAHIL RASGOTRA
LEH: Marking yet another historical moment in the developmental journey of the union territory, Ladakh has registered a double-digit growth of 10% in the GST collections for the month of June.
This development come as India’s overall Good & Services Tax (GST) revenue collection in June crossed Rs 1.60 lakh crore mark for the fourth time since the roll-out of the indirect tax regime, rising 12 per cent to over Rs 1.61 lakh crore in June, as per the finance ministry data released on the weekend.
The union territory of Ladakh registered a GST collection of Rs 14.57 Crore in the month of June 2023.
“In the month of June 2022, the GST revenue of the union territory of Ladakh was Rs 13.22 Crore. In the month of June 2023, the GST revenue has rose to Rs 14.57 Crore, an increase of Rs 1.35 Crore,” a senior official informed The Earth News.
“This translates to a growth of 10%,” he added.
This month’s GST collection growth, however, is far lesser than last month, when Ladakh had registered 113% increase, standing second among all the states and the union territories of the country.
Neighbouring union territory of Jammu and Kashmir has registered a GST collection of Rs 588.68 Crore in the month of June 2023, against the GST collection of Rs 371.83 Crore in the month of June 2022, posting a growth rate of 58%.
Ladakh, it may be mentioned, was carved out of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir only three and a half year ago.
This is the third consecutive month that the union territory of Ladakh has posted stellar figures with regards to the GST collections.
In the month of April 2023, the union territory had recorded a growth rate of 43% in the GST collections, second highest among all the union territories of the country which rose to 113% growth in the month of May 2023.
According to the official data released by the Finance Ministry on Saturday,
GST collections crossed Rs 1.60 lakh crore mark for the fourth time since the roll-out of the indirect tax regime, rising 12 per cent to over Rs 1.61 lakh crore in June.
In June, the gross GST revenue collected was Rs 1,61,497 crore of which Central GST is Rs 31,013 crore, State GST is Rs 38,292 crore, Integrated GST is Rs 80,292 crore (including Rs 39,035 crore collected on import of goods) and cess is Rs 11,900 crore (including Rs 1,028 crore collected on import of goods).
The revenues for June 2023 are 12 per cent higher than the GST revenues in the same month last year. During the month, the revenues from domestic transactions (including import of services) are 18 per cent higher than the revenues from these sources during the same month last year.
The revenues had touched a record high of Rs 1.87 lakh crore in April. In May, it was Rs 1.57 lakh crore.
As the Goods and Services Tax (GST) completed 6 years of implementation, the government recounted the benefits that the indirect tax regime brought about to the economy, including lower tax rates for goods and services and removed discretion.
The average gross GST collection for the first (April-June) quarter of the 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 stood at Rs 1.10 lakh crore, Rs 1.51 lakh crore and Rs 1.69 lakh crore, respectively, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.
Speaking on the GST Day 2023 event, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) chairman Vivek Johri said the benefits of GST both to the macroeconomy and taxpayers are well documented.
“Greater revenue efficiency, and we have seen some of that today with revenue collection for June exceeding Rs 1.60 lakh crore, better compliance, market integration,” Johri said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman complimented tax officers for their “dedication and commitment and grit”, which helped in making monthly GST revenues of Rs 1.60 lakh crore a “new normal”.
“Whether it is common consumer, whether it is the state government, a matter of tax buoyancy, whether it is making it digital and simpler, GST stands out as an exemplar,” Sitharaman said.
EY LLP Tax Partner Saurabh Agarwal said the GST collection continues to follow an uptrend, and states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur, saw remarkable growth in the collection in June.
“With the launch of a special drive of chasing fake GST registrations combined with data analysis using various artificial intelligence tools government seems to be on the track of seemingly upward collection of taxes,” Agarwal added.
