Guwahati/New Delhi, July 21 (Hindustan Times). Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the North Eastern states have written a success story in the collection and devolution of Goods and Services Tax (GST). He said that according to RBI’s 2023 report on state finances, the eight northeastern states have registered a compound annual GST growth of 27.5 per cent.
Sitharaman said this while addressing a program of officers and employees of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) here on Friday. He said that GST has brought significant reforms in the tax system, which has benefited not only the states but also the common people. The event was organized to present the President’s Awards for Distinguished Services.
In his address, the Finance Minister said that Assam was the first state to ratify the GST Act 4 days after it was passed, since then there has been a 12-fold increase in GST tax collection. Assam’s sales tax collection before GST was Rs 558.26 crore, but now it has increased manifold to Rs 7,097 crore.
He said that Sikkim and Meghalaya have also registered significant achievement in GST tax collection. The tax collection of Sikkim has increased from Rs 263.5 crore to Rs 3,036 crore and that of Meghalaya has increased from Rs 587.21 crore to Rs 2,078 crore. The northeastern states share borders with four countries. Presently 25 Land Customs Stations (LCS) are operational here. Of these, only 15 have electronic facilities. The Finance Minister asked the officials to ensure that by December the remaining LCS should also have electronic facilities.
