The Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST)-Bengaluru zone marked the eighth anniversary of the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) with Karnataka celebrating a significant milestone. The state recorded a robust GST revenue of about Rs 1.6 lakh crore in the financial year 2024-25, securing its position as the second-highest GST-contributing state in the country after Maharashtra.
Karnataka’s rising tax contribution reflects the state’s growing economic activity and expanding taxpayer base. With approximately 10.5 lakh registered taxpayers, Karnataka now ranks fifth among Indian states in terms of GST registration — an indicator of both business growth and increasing compliance.
Bengaluru zone, led by chief commissioner (Central GST) Kajal Singh, undertook several measures including the fortnight-long GST Pakhwada to improve collections. Help desks were set up to assist traders, resolve issues, and spread awareness. Key initiatives that were showcased included notification of a structured grievance redressal mechanism, operationalising over 100 facilitation centres for biometric-based Aadhaar authentication, and decentralising processing of new GST registrations.
Earlier, officials discussed the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in a workshop titled GST @8: Reimagining Indirect Taxation with AI. Prakash Kumar, CEO of Government Digital Transformation at Wadhwani Foundation, discussed the govt’s efforts to simplify indirect taxation and explained how AI can revolutionise compliance, policymaking, and governance.
The CGST provided commendation certificates to various taxpayers and administrators. Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd, SAP India Pvt Ltd, Texas Instruments (India) Pvt Ltd, TUMUL (Nandini), TVS Motor Company Ltd, Nextleap Aeronautics Pvt Ltd and QNu Labs Pvt Ltd were recognised for their compliance with GST and innovation.
Source #TOI
