Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday announced that the state has achieved a historic milestone in Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for April 2026, recording its highest-ever monthly GST revenue since the tax regime began and emerging as the top-performing state in growth across India.
The achievement comes under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, marking a significant boost to the state’s fiscal performance.
Punjab recorded a Gross GST collection of ₹2,987.38 crore and a Net GST collection of ₹2,725.08 crore in April 2026, the highest monthly figure ever achieved by the state.
The Finance Minister said this reflects a 70.70% year-on-year growth in net GST, translating into an increase of approximately ₹1,129 crore compared to April 2025.
Cheema stated that according to Government of India data, Punjab registered a 66% growth in post-settlement GST, rising from ₹1,795 crore to ₹2,987 crore. This makes Punjab the highest-growing state in the country, outperforming the national average and all northern states.
The Minister added that after accounting for an abnormal IGST adjustment of ₹859 crore in the previous year, the adjusted figures still show a gross growth of 12.57% and a net growth of 10.97%, reflecting consistent improvement in core tax administration and compliance.
Highlighting enforcement measures, Cheema said the Taxation Department intensified anti-evasion drives using data analytics, field inspections, and intelligence-based operations. These efforts resulted in penalties exceeding ₹175 crore.
In a major operation in the iron and steel sector, nearly 200 vehicles were detained in a single-day enforcement drive during April.
Reiterating the state government’s approach, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said Punjab’s performance reflects a combination of strict enforcement and taxpayer facilitation. He added that the government remains committed to curbing tax evasion while ensuring a transparent and compliant taxation system.
Source from: https://www.babushahi.com/view-news.php?id=220505
