NEW DELHI: The gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections rose 22.9 per cent year-on-year to Rs 2.31 lakh crore in October, supported by a sharp increase in revenue from imports and steady growth in domestic collections, provisional government data showed on Sunday.The October collection compares with Rs 1.88 lakh crore recorded in the same month last year. After adjusting for refunds, net GST revenue grew 25.6 per cent to Rs 2.03 lakh crore, against Rs 1.61 lakh crore a year ago.Revenue from imports was the bigger contributor to the increase, rising 42.2 per cent to Rs 72,246 crore from Rs 50,796 crore in October 2025. Collections from domestic transactions grew 15.8 per cent to Rs 1.59 lakh crore, compared with Rs 1.37 lakh crore in the year-ago period.The government issued refunds worth Rs 27,934 crore during the month, 6.5 per cent higher than in October last year. Domestic refunds increased 9.8 per cent to Rs 14,007 crore, while refunds on imports rose 3.4 per cent to Rs 13,927 crore.After adjusting for refunds, net revenue from domestic transactions grew 16.4 per cent to Rs 1.45 lakh crore. Net collections from customs-related GST rose 56.2 per cent to Rs 58,319 crore.Among major states, Maharashtra recorded domestic GST collections of Rs 35,150 crore, up 13 per cent year-on-year. Karnataka’s collections increased 18 per cent to Rs 15,922 crore, while Gujarat reported a 16 per cent rise to Rs 13,516 crore. Haryana recorded a 17 per cent increase to Rs 11,529 crore.Assam saw one of the sharpest increases, with collections rising 47 per cent to Rs 1,934 crore. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar both recorded 24 per cent growth.“October’s gross GST collections of Rs 2.31 lakh crore, registering a robust 22.9% year-on-year growth, reinforce the continued buoyancy in GST revenues. Importantly, this strength is not limited to a single month, with cumulative gross collections during April–October reaching Rs 14.78 lakh crore, representing a healthy 13.2% year-on-year growth. This sustained revenue buoyancy, despite bold rate cuts mid last year, is providing the confidence and headroom for the GST Council to continue with the reform express,” said Mahesh Jaising, partner & leader indirect tax, Deloitte India.While, Abhishek Jain, partner and national head indirect tax for Kpmg in India, said, “The GST collection figures with a growth of 22.9% for October 2026 is impressive and adds to the festive cheer. The cumulative gross GST collections for April–October 2026 have also grown by 13.2% reflecting sustained economic activity, improved tax compliance and the continued resilience of India’s consumption and trade ecosystem. Overall, the October numbers provide a positive signal for revenue mobilisation and reinforce the growing maturity of India’s GST framework.”Nitin Vijaivergia, partner, Price Waterhouse & Co LLP, also higlhighted the strong momentum saying, “October’s GST collections of Rs 2.31 lakh crore, the second-highest monthly collection on record, reflect strong revenue momentum. Domestic collections grew 15.8%, signalling healthy consumption and economic activity, while import revenues surged 42.2%, highlighting the increasing contribution of imports to overall GST revenues. This trend merits attention from a domestic manufacturing perspective. Encouragingly, net GST revenues grew even faster at 25.6%, with refunds rising only 6.5%. Cumulative April-October collections grew 13.2%, further indicating that the revenue buoyancy is broad-based and extends beyond a single month.”For the first seven months of the current financial year, gross GST collections rose 13.2 per cent to Rs 14.77 lakh crore, compared with Rs 13.05 lakh crore during April-October last year. Net collections during the period increased 12.6 per cent to Rs 12.69 lakh crore.The October figures mark a strong year-on-year increase in tax collections, with both domestic activity and imports contributing to the growth.
