Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, in a strategic move to boost GST revenue and curb tax evasion, chaired a meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on revenue analysis from GST. The high-level meeting concluded with a decision to constitute a dedicated group of officers tasked with conducting a comprehensive study on GST fraud, evasion, and revenue trends across states and union territories.
The new group will work closely with state tax departments and central agencies to perform a state-wise GST revenue analysis. This data-driven approach is expected to uncover gaps, anomalies, and patterns that could lead to policy improvements and better compliance.
"The aim is to ensure a robust and equitable GST framework that strengthens India's fiscal ecosystem," said Chief Minister Sawant, who is also the convener of the GoM.
Sawant was joined by state tax commissioner Sarpreet Singh Gill, additional commissioner for state taxes Vishant Gaunekar, and additional secretary to the Chief Minister, Upendra Joshi. Ministers from Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Punjab attended the meeting in person, while the Andhra Pradesh representative participated virtually.
The group of officers has been assigned a dual mandate: to analyze every major business sector for potential policy refinements and to conduct a broader impact assessment of GST implementation. Their findings will guide the GoM in developing harmonized anti-evasion tools and mechanisms for revenue augmentation.
Officials also sought a comprehensive presentation from the GST Network (GSTN) on how business intelligence and fraud analytics are being utilized by central and state GST authorities. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) was requested to share insights from the E-Waybill Analytics Portal and GST Prime Portal.
States like Gujarat, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh presented their analytics-driven data and shared actionable insights, which will now be included in the wider national review.
The GoM is expected to reconvene once the group of officers completes the data collection and evaluation process. Final recommendations will be submitted to the GST Council based on a consensus-driven approach, incorporating feedback from all states and union territories.
This proactive initiative highlights the Centre and states' commitment to improving transparency, reducing fraud, and optimizing GST collections in a dynamic tax environment.
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