Sitharaman to Inaugurate GST Enforcement Chiefs' Meet on March 4

New Delhi: Marking a significant step in strengthening the enforcement mechanism in goods and services tax (GST), the government on Sunday said that Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday will hold a one-day conference of enforcement chiefs of all states and central GST officers to tackle tax evasion. Besides, the agenda of the conference will include other issues such as sharing best practices in the system, fostering synergy, and leveraging technology and data among others, according to the finance ministry.

The move of the government comes two days after India’s gross revenues from the GST grew at a three-month high pace of 12.54 per cent in February to cross Rs 1.68 lakh crore, marking the fourth-highest monthly collections from the tax. February’s GST revenue growth reflected the third highest uptick in 2023-24 and lifted the total collections so far this year to Rs 18.4 lakh crore, 11.7 per cent above the same period last year.

Balancing ease of doing business in the country, the finance ministry also said that deliberation in the conference would strike a crucial equilibrium between facilitating a smooth business environment and implementing effective, deterrent enforcement measures. "Embracing the spirit of cooperative federalism as exemplified by GST, this conference serves as a valuable platform for both Centre and state GST enforcement authorities to share best practices, foster mutual learning, and collectively strengthen the GST administration," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also said that it would focus on combating fake invoicing and will address this primary form of GST evasion and strategising effective methods to combat it collaboratively. "Encouraging knowledge exchange through presentations by state and central enforcement heads, showcasing their most successful strategies and innovative approaches for tackling tax evasion," it said.

The Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance will be organising the conference. Ms Sitharaman will inaugurate it and also deliver the keynote address. Union Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary will also attend the conference.