GST Collections Rise 8.1% to ₹1.83 Lakh Crore in February

Why in the News

Gross Goods and Services Tax collections rose 8.1% year on year to over ₹1.83 lakh crore in February 2026, indicating steady consumption and import activity.

Key Figures

• Gross GST: ₹1.83 lakh crore
• Net GST: ₹1.61 lakh crore up 7.9%
• Gross domestic revenue: ₹1.36 lakh crore up 5.3%
• Import revenue: ₹47,837 crore up 17.2%
• Refunds: ₹22,595 crore up 10.2%
• Cumulative GST collection so far this fiscal: ₹20.27 lakh crore up 8.3%.

Policy Context

• GST slabs merged into two major rates: 5% and 18%
• 40% slab retained for ultra luxury goods and tobacco
• Around 375 items saw rate cuts from September 2025
• Initial dip in November after tax cuts followed by recovery in December, January and February.

State Level Trends

Negative growth observed in:

• Tamil Nadu
• Madhya Pradesh
• Rajasthan

Below national average growth in:

• West Bengal
• Haryana
• Uttar Pradesh
• Maharashtra

Significance

• Reflects resilience of consumption demand
• Strong import growth suggests trade momentum
• Stable revenue trend despite rate rationalisation
• Indicates structural maturity of GST ecosystem

[2017] What is/are the most likely advantages of implementing ‘Goods and Services Tax (GST)’?  It will replace multiple taxes collected by multiple authorities and will thus create a single market in India.  It will drastically reduce the ‘Current Account Deficit’ of India and will enable it to increase its foreign exchange reserves.  It will enormously increase the growth and size of economy of India and will enable it to overtake China in the near future.  Select the correct answer using the code given below:  (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3