Excise duty increases on cigarettes pressured profitability, while calibrated pricing and FMCG growth supported market resilience.
Excise duty increases on cigarettes affected consolidated profitability, prompting calibrated pricing and portfolio measures to protect market share and limit migration to illicit trade. The cigarette portfolio was re-architected across price points through value-accretive offerings and staggered pricing actions. Non-cigarette FMCG growth was supported by demand for packaged foods, dairy and personal-care products. Input-cost inflation was mitigated through inventory cover, commodity hedging and price-volume rebalancing amid crude-price volatility, supply-chain disruption and imported inflation concerns.

One-Time Settlement Scheme offers final pre-GST tax dispute resolution relief before stricter recovery action against defaulters begins.
The One-Time Settlement Scheme 2025 for pre-GST tax dues has been extended until September 30. Eligible taxpayers may resolve pending legacy tax disputes with full waiver of interest and penalties and slab-wise relief in principal tax. After the deadline, recovery action may be intensified under applicable tax laws and the Punjab Land Revenue Act, including property attachment, auction and freezing of bank accounts. The department also supports amicable settlement of tax disputes through the SAMADHAN initiative.

Proposed e-Way Bill enhancements remain on hold, with no production changes required pending further communication.
Proposed e-Way Bill enhancements have been kept on hold until further notice. Stakeholders are not required to make production-environment changes pursuant to the earlier advisories concerning those enhancements. The related advisories and FAQs are to be withdrawn from the GST Portal pending further communication.

Input Tax Credit unblocking allegedly involved illegal gratification, prompting a trap operation and apprehension of the officer and consultant.
Alleged bribery connected with unblocking Input Tax Credit arose after an electronics trader received a show-cause notice and had its ITC blocked. A private tax consultant allegedly conveyed that a State GST officer demanded illegal gratification for unblocking the credit and encouraged the trader to settle the demand. Following a complaint, a trap operation allegedly led to the apprehension of the officer and consultant, with further legal action in progress.

Free trade agreements and e-commerce export reforms expand preferential market access, address non-tariff barriers, and support small exporters.
Export market diversification is advanced through trade agreements, export-promotion measures and capacity building. Free Trade Agreements seek preferential market access, increased trade and investment, and support for labour-intensive exports, while technical barriers to trade provisions and engagement mechanisms address standards, regulatory requirements and non-tariff barriers. Cross-border e-commerce exports are supported through trade-finance and compliance assistance, E-Commerce Export Hubs, District Export Hubs, simplified courier-export procedures, reverse-logistics facilitation, logistics planning, duty-and-tax remission, and MSME export facilitation.

GST compliance management integrates reconciliation, input tax credit support, invoicing and statutory monitoring within an AI-powered enterprise platform.
The unified cloud platform combines accounting, manufacturing, inventory, procurement, human resources, payroll, compliance, reporting and document management with an embedded AI agent. Its compliance functions include GST validation, purchase-register reconciliation with GSTR-2B, input tax credit support, supplier filing-gap detection, e-invoicing, e-way bills, TDS and statutory due-date tracking. Financial and operational workflows are intended to use common real-time data, with automation for invoices, journal entries, reconciliations, reporting, workflow approvals and compliance-risk monitoring.

Ease of Doing Business reforms propose time-bound approvals, simpler compliance and faster refunds to improve investor-friendly regulation.
A draft Ease of Doing Business law proposes time-bound approvals, deemed approvals, self-certification, third-party verification, risk-based inspections and removal of duplicate licensing requirements to reduce procedural hurdles and create a more investor-friendly regulatory environment. The cabinet also approved related industrial investment, payment security and tax reforms, including GST simplification, faster refunds and abolition of the redundant Commercial Tax Tribunal.

Aviation turbine fuel under GST sought to cut airline operating costs and improve financial viability.
Airlines have sought inclusion of aviation turbine fuel under the GST regime to reduce operating costs and ease financial pressure on Indian carriers. The request points to the present tax structure under which States levy excise duty and VAT on ATF, making fuel a major component of airline operating expenses. The industry body urges that ATF be brought under GST at 5 per cent with full Input Tax Credit, and asks the civil aviation ministry to support engagement with the relevant ministries and stakeholders.

Forged GST invoices and hawala routing allegedly enabled a border smuggling and money-laundering network for areca nut trade.
An alleged organised syndicate smuggled foreign-origin areca nut across the India-Myanmar border and channelled the proceeds through a laundering network using forged GST invoices, bogus supplier and buyer entities, false transport documents and hawala routes. The alleged operation involved suppliers in Mizoram, facilitators in Assam, consignees and financiers in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, and an invoicing entity in Kolkata said to have enabled circular trading. The investigation, conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, involved multi-state searches and the seizure or freezing of diaries, title deeds, property documents, cash and bank accounts.

GST collection growth in Assam reflects stronger compliance, leakages control and digital tax administration.
Assam reported a 15 per cent increase in GST collection in June, with receipts rising to Rs 1,437 crore from Rs 1,255 crore. The growth was attributed to improved compliance, leakages control, stronger digital tax administration and a wider tax base. GST collections for the April to June quarter were also higher, at Rs 4,467 crore against Rs 3,026 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Mandatory Ship-to GSTIN and voluntary e-Way Bill closure reshape GST compliance, API validations, and delivery recording from August 2026.
Mandatory capture of Ship-to GSTIN is introduced for Bill-to/Ship-to and combination transactions in e-Way Bill and related e-invoice flows from 1 August 2026, with URP permitted where GSTIN is unavailable. The Ship-to GSTIN is captured only in the backend for verification and audit purposes and is not printed or shared through taxpayer-facing APIs. A voluntary e-Way Bill closure facility is also introduced, allowing closure after delivery by the supplier, recipient, transporter, driver or authorised person, through portal or API, with post-closure actions continuing during the initial stabilisation period.

GST revenue collections show higher gross and net inflows, with domestic growth, import gains, and refund adjustments detailed.
Gross and net GST revenue collections for June 2026 were reported with a breakup of domestic revenue, import revenue, refunds, and net revenue. Gross GST revenue rose on a monthly and yearly basis, driven by higher domestic collections and stronger import-side IGST collections, while refunds were separately shown for domestic supplies and export-related refunds through ICEGATE. Net GST revenue was also presented after deducting refunds, and the figures were noted as provisional and subject to finalisation.

Aggregate Annual Turnover amendment window revised on the GST Portal for FY 2025-26 with officer review timelines updated.
Aggregate Annual Turnover (AATO) functionality on the GST Portal is being upgraded to enable automatic updation of AATO as subsequent returns are filed after the amendment window. For FY 2025-26, taxpayers may submit AATO amendment applications from 1 July to 31 July 2026, and jurisdictional Tax Officers will review amended details from 1 August to 15 August 2026. The revised arrangement is intended to improve consistency, accuracy, and uniformity in AATO reporting.

Tax revenue growth and AI-driven enforcement strengthen revenue mobilisation, with net GST and IGST settlements rising sharply.
State tax revenue recorded strong year-on-year growth in June 2026, with total collections rising to nearly Rs 5,000 crore and net GST increasing to Rs 3,144 crore. Commercial taxes for the first quarter of FY27 also increased substantially compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, led by growth in net GST and VAT on petroleum products. The revenue performance was attributed to improved tax compliance, stronger enforcement, enhanced revenue monitoring and broader economic activity.

GST compliance and tax administration drive Punjab's higher revenue collections, faster refunds, and stronger anti-evasion enforcement.
Punjab's GST revenue showed a substantial rise in the April-June quarter of FY 2026-27, with gross GST and SGST collections reflecting improved compliance, sustained economic activity and stronger tax administration. Timely GST refunds were issued to genuine businesses, while action against tax evasion included penalty recoveries, proceedings against bogus taxpayers for fake invoicing and fraudulent registrations, recovery of long-pending VAT dues through property auction proceedings, and an increase in VAT/CST collections.

Taxpayer facilitation and voluntary compliance marked GST Pakhwada outreach, grievance redressal, and stakeholder engagement initiatives.
Taxpayer facilitation and participative governance were emphasised through GST Pakhwada 2026 outreach activities undertaken by the CGST Delhi South Commissionerate to engage taxpayers and tax professionals, promote awareness, address concerns and strengthen voluntary compliance. An open dialogue and grievance-redressal session provided a forum for taxpayers to raise issues and suggestions, which were addressed by officers as part of a consultative compliance model. Certificates of commendation were issued to officers in recognition of exemplary service and contribution to a transparent and citizen-centric tax administration.

GST rationalisation for paperboard packaging sought to ease inverted duty structure and support MSMEs.
A trade chamber has sought GST rationalisation for paper and paperboard used in manufacturing corrugated cartons, boxes and cases, proposing a reduction from 18 per cent to 5 per cent. The request is based on the inverted duty structure created when raw materials attract 5 per cent GST while the finished product attracts 18 per cent GST, leading to embedded tax costs. The chamber says the measure would support competitiveness, MSME liquidity, employment generation and exports.

GST collections surge on strong import revenue and domestic supplies, with refunds rising alongside business liquidity support.
GST collections rose sharply in June, with gross revenue increasing 14 per cent to about Rs 1.95 lakh crore, driven by higher receipts from imports and domestic supplies. Domestic transaction collections grew 6.5 per cent to about Rs 1.35 lakh crore, while import-related revenue surged 34.6 per cent to Rs 60,038 crore. After refunds of Rs 32,436 crore, net GST collection rose 11.2 per cent to over Rs 1.62 lakh crore.