Northeast Desk, 8th September: The Meghalaya finance department has reported a total GST receipt of Rs 772 crore for the period from April to August 2024. This reflects a 5% increase compared to the Rs 737 crore received during the same period last year.
In comparison with neighboring states, Assam experienced a 7% growth, Arunachal Pradesh saw an 8% rise, Manipur achieved an 11% increase, and Mizoram recorded a modest 1% gain. Nagaland’s GST receipts remained stagnant, while Sikkim reported a significant 16% growth. Tripura also saw an 11% increase.
To further enhance GST revenue, the Meghalaya government is focusing on awareness campaigns targeting small shopkeepers who procure goods from outside the state. These initiatives aim to ensure that invoices are generated with addresses within Meghalaya, thereby ensuring the state benefits from the GST.
The finance department is also intensifying the scrutiny of returns to curb evasion. The department clarified that recent reports of a drop in GST collections were based on preliminary data from April 2024 and did not cover all settlements.
Additionally, the department is investigating 376 cases from the current financial year, involving an amount of Rs 121 crore. GST collections in Meghalaya have shown substantial growth over recent years, with increases of 35.87% in 2021-22, 32.12% in 2022-23, and 16.66% in 2023-24. Collections surged from Rs 1,118 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 1,723 crore in 2023-24.
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