India’s Gross GST Collection Rises 8.1% to ₹1.83 Lakh Crore in February

As per the ministry's data, the total refunds were up 10.2 per cent at Rs 22,595 crore, while the total net GST collection stood at over Rs 1.61 lakh crore, up 7.9 per cent year-on-year. “Net cess revenue was Rs 5,063 crore, down from Rs 13,481 crore in February last year. The GST rates on about 375 items were slashed, making goods cheaper, effective September 2025. Also, 4-tax slabs of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent were merged into two of 5 per cent and 18 per cent, with a highest 40 per cent slab for a select few ultra luxury goods and tobacco products,” the ministry said.

The GST collections were down initially in the first month of tax cut implementation, with revenues declining to Rs 1.70 lakh crore in November. The collection rose to Rs 1.74 lakh crore in December and further to Rs 1.93 lakh crore in January. “The GST collection figures reflect the fact that there has been a consumption uptick that has more than compensated for the rate reductions,” said Deloitte India Partner MS Mani.

“However, the negative growth reported by major states such as Tamil Nadu with -6 per cent , MP -8 per cent , Rajasthan -1 per cent, and the single digit growth below the national average of 8 per cent reported by WB 1 per cent, Haryana 2 per cent , UP 5 per cent and Maharashtra 6 percent, would be a matter of concern for the states and the policy makers,” Mani said.

However, Pratik Jain, partner in Price Waterhouse & Co LLP also said that as per the data, the GST has entered into a phase of stable and predictable growth, which is encouraging to see. While AKM Global, lead-indirect tax, Ikesh Nagpal said that the February collections is reflecting a seasonal moderation from January's record Rs 1.93 lakh crore, which had been boosted by the inclusion of October-December quarterly returns.