Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection in August rose 6.5 per cent to over Rs 1.86 lakh crore with increased domestic sales, and the upcoming festive season is likely to push it up further. In August 2024, the GST collection was Rs 1.75 lakh crore. The GST mop-up this month is, however, lower than Rs 1.96 lakh crore in July.
The gross domestic revenue grew 9.6 per cent to Rs 1.37 lakh crore, while tax from imports dipped 1.2 per cent to Rs 49,354 crore in August. GST refunds were down 20 per cent year-on-year to Rs 19,359 crore. The significant dip in export refunds is a clear signal of the impact that global tariffs are having on the export sector. Despite global headwinds and geopolitical tensions, robust domestic consumption has so far held its own, suggesting that India's growth trajectory remains on a solid footing.
Net GST revenue stood at Rs 1.67 lakh crore in August 2025, recording 10.7 per cent year-on-year growth. Deloitte India Partner MS Mani said the increase in collections is in line with the GDP growth data shared recently and would give the policymakers the confidence to move ahead with GST 2.0 reforms slated to be discussed in the GST Council Meeting this week
ICRA Chief Economist Aditi Nayar said while CGST and SGST recorded a double-digit expansion, the growth in IGST and cess collections was tepid, dampening the headline GST increase to 6.5 per cent. The contraction in IGST on imports is puzzling in light of the sharp increase in merchandise imports in July 2025 that would have reflected in the August 2025 GST data,” Nayar said.
The collection data comes just two days ahead of the meeting of the GST Council, comprising Centre and states, which will deliberate on rate rationalisation and reducing number of tax slabs. Mani said that after four months of increase in GST refunds, this month depicts a decline in refunds, although on an annual basis, refunds are 18 per cent more than last year.
He said these collections pertain to economic activity during July, which is typically impacted by the monsoon-led lower demand for goods and services. "The demand increase, which begin in the festival season starting August and will continue till November, should result in significant jumps in collections in the coming months. However, reduced GST rates that are expected to be announced soon may temporarily moderate the collection,” said Mani.
With expected GST cuts on many products in the upcoming Council meeting, the government would be closely monitoring the collections over the next few months.
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