India announces next-gen GST reforms to simplify business compliance

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced the next phase of Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms, aimed at simplifying compliance and supporting the ‘Viksit Bharat’ economic vision. While previous reforms focused on rate rationalization, the upcoming stage will target process improvements, including GST registration, return filing, refunds, dispute resolution, and the flow of input tax credits.

The 57th GST Council meeting, originally scheduled for October 7, has been postponed to October 8 due to ‘unavoidable circumstances.’ The meeting, chaired by the Finance Minister, is expected to focus on policy reforms to reduce the time and cost of meeting tax obligations. Reports suggest the Council may consider removing certain offenses from the criminal category and limiting the arrest powers of GST officials.

Economic data indicates significant growth under the current regime. Between October 2025 and July 2026, taxable supplies grew by 25.8 percent. Additionally, total GST collections for the April-September 2026 period reached 12.46 lakh crore rupees, an 11.6 percent increase compared to the previous year. Consumer sales (B2C) also saw a 26.7 percent rise following recent reforms.