Finance Ministry sets Rs 1.1 lakh crore monthly GST collection target

18 Dec 2019 Evaluate

The Finance Ministry has set an ambitious Rs 1.1 lakh crore monthly Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection target for the remaining four months of the financial year 2019-20 amid worries that the government may fall short of tax collection target in a slowing economy. It also asked taxmen to step up efforts to achieve the goal.

Of these four months, Rs 1.25 lakh collections has to be achieved in at least one month. Gross GST collections, which include the share of both Centre and the states, crossed Rs 1 lakh crore mark in four out of the eight months of the current fiscal and only once was above Rs 1.1 lakh crore. At the current trend, the GST tax collection target is likely to be missed by at least Rs 1 lakh crore. Out of the Rs 13.35 lakh crore direct tax collection target, about Rs 6 lakh crore or 45 per cent of the annual target, has been collected till October (first seven months). For 2019-20, the government is targeting Rs 6.63 lakh crore from its share of GST revenues. GST subsumed 17 centre and state levies and the two equally split the revenues.

The revenue department in the finance ministry is taking concerted measures to augment collections in the next four collection months and has exhorted its senior officers, including Members of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), as well as other top officials to achieve tax targets both for direct and indirect taxes. Officers have been particularly urged to ensure that during such field enforcement drive and visits, no taxpayer is overreached or troubled. Also, it was clarified to the officers that the corporate tax relief worth Rs 1.45 lakh crore by way of a cut in rates, should not be taken as an excuse for lesser direct tax collection.

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