Government collects ₹2 lakh crore worth GST in March:Indirect tax collection reaches ₹22 lakh crore in FY26

This year in March, Gross GST collection crossed ₹2 lakh crore, increasing by 8.8% on an annual basis. A year ago in March 2025, it was ₹1.83 lakh crore. Meanwhile, Net GST collection stood at ₹1.78 lakh crore, increasing by 8.2% on an annual basis. In March 2025, this figure was ₹1.64 lakh crore. These figures were released today on April 1. Gross GST is the total tax collected by the government, while Net GST is the amount that remains after deducting refunds returned to taxpayers from the Gross collection. GST collection highest in 10 months Total refund increased by 13.8% to ₹0.22 lakh crore Meanwhile, total refund increased by 13.8% on an annual basis to reach ₹0.22 lakh crore. In March 2025, this figure was ₹0.19 lakh crore. Gross Domestic Revenue (CGST, SGST, IGST) stood at ₹1.46 lakh crore, which saw a 5.9% increase on an annual basis. While Gross Import Revenue (IGST) was ₹0.54 lakh crore, which was 17.8% on an annual basis. Meanwhile, in March 2026, Net Cess Revenue declined to -₹177 crore. In March 2025, it was ₹12,043 crore. Maharashtra recorded 17% growth in GST collection In GST collection, major states like Maharashtra (+17%), Karnataka (+14%) and Telangana (+19%) have recorded growth. Meanwhile, growth remained slow in states like Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Highest tax collection was in April 2025 The government collected ₹2.37 lakh crore from Goods and Services Tax (GST) in April 2025. This was an increase of 12.6% on an annual basis. This is a record for GST collection. Before this, the highest GST collection record was made in April 2024. At that time, the government had collected ₹2.10 lakh crore. GST collection shows the health of the economy GST collection indicates how healthy the country’s economy is. If the collection is high, it means that people are shopping extensively, production in factories is increasing, and people are paying taxes honestly. GST was implemented in 2017 The government implemented GST across the country on July 1, 2017. After this, 17 taxes and 13 cesses of the central and state governments were removed. GST is divided into four parts: CGST (Central GST): Collected by the central government. SGST (State GST): Collected by state governments. IGST (Integrated GST): Applicable on inter-state transactions and imports, divided between central and state governments. Cess: Additional duty levied on specific goods (such as luxury items, tobacco) to raise funds for specific purposes.