GST burden deepens cost-of-living; opposition accuses government of failing to control inflation and market prices.
Opposition leader accuses concurrent state and central governance of producing compounded harm to citizens by failing to control market prices; he singles out the GST burden as broadly applied and increasing costs for poor consumers, and links government inaction on price inflation and unseasonal crop losses to farmer distress, framing the matters as political accountability and public policy failures in market regulation and consumer protection.

Excise revenue growth signals stronger fiscal receipts as excise duty and VAT composition shifts and targets are set.
Excise revenue rose about 13% in the first three quarters of 2024-25, with receipts composed primarily of excise duty and a significant Value Added Tax share; a higher fiscal year revenue target has been set above current collections.

GST on cement urged to be reduced to stimulate consumption, infrastructure procurement and manufacturing investment.
The article advocates reducing the GST on cement to a lower rate to stimulate consumption and support infrastructure, arguing that tax relief combined with procurement specifications favouring cement concrete would encourage demand growth, justify capacity expansion and improve pricing. It urges Budget and policy measures to boost use of cement, describes planned manufacturing investment in Bihar aided by state fiscal incentives and MoU commitments, and notes industry capacity targets and market structure observations relevant to supply expansion.

GST slowdown prompts call for income support and tax relief to revive consumption and investment.
Persistent deceleration in GST receipts reflects weakening demand, with net collections showing very low growth and year-to-date short of budgeted targets; government expenditure should act as stimulus rather than justification for cutting social programmes. The statement urges targeted income support for low-income households, tax relief for the middle classes, implementation of a simpler GST 2.0, and an end to enforcement practices that deter private investment, while preserving funding for MGNREGA.

GST revenue growth signals stronger state tax collections and improved excise performance, reflecting fiscal consolidation efforts.
State revenue collections from VAT, CST, GST, State Development Tax and excise exceeded thirty-thousand-crore in the first nine months, totaling Rs 31,156.31 crore versus Rs 27,927.31 crore in the prior year; a detailed breakdown reported receipts by tax head and December exhibited year-on-year increases in net GST and excise, which the government attributed to fiscal measures and strengthened tax administration.

Currency depreciation: rupee weakened on importer dollar demand and foreign fund outflows, keeping pressure on the exchange rate.
Rupee depreciation was driven by strong importer dollar demand and sustained foreign institutional investor outflows, amplified by global dollar strength and thin holiday liquidity; analysts noted potential Reserve Bank of India intervention could support the rupee and suggested a near term trading range.

GST relief may deepen insurance penetration by reducing premiums and prompting product innovation and broader regulatory adjustments.
Non-life insurers anticipate strong premium growth led by product innovation across non-motor and non-health lines and improved affordability through regulatory measures; GST relief on health insurance and revision of motor third-party rates are highlighted as critical to raising penetration, while Digital Public Infrastructure and schemes like Bima Sugam, Bima Vistaar and Bima Vahaks are recommended to reduce costs and expand reach.

Currency depreciation pressures rupee as dollar strength and foreign outflows tighten liquidity and raise market premiums.
Rupee depreciation against the US dollar was driven by broad dollar strength, higher US bond yields and persistent foreign fund outflows, prompting market caution on liquidity and near-term premium levels while domestic equity gains and GST revenue growth provided countervailing indicators.

GST revenue growth and rising refunds point to potential GST Council review and consideration of rate rationalisation.
Gross GST collections rose 7.3% to Rs 1.77 lakh crore in December and, after higher refunds, net GST receipts increased 3.3%. Domestic and import-linked GST both grew while refunds, including export refunds, materially rose, indicating a stabilised refund framework. Commentators note potential GST Council scrutiny of taxpayer division and possible rate rationalisation as measures to boost consumption.

GST collections for December 2024: gross receipts, refunds and net realizations with state wise SGST settlements.
The release reports December 2024 figures for Gross GST Revenue, component CGST/SGST/IGST/cess receipts, total refunds (domestic and export/ICEGATE) and resultant Net GST Revenue at domestic, customs and consolidated levels, provides pre and post settlement SGST and SGST portion of IGST settled to States/UTs, and supplies state wise monthly growth rates, GSTIN counts and central versus state collection splits for April-December 2024.

E-way bill extension permitted for consignments affected by portal outage; extension and retrospective generation allowed.
Technical issues with the e-way bill portal have been resolved and affected taxpayers may extend e-way bills that expired at the outage using the "Extend EWB" facility; the extension window for bills expiring at the outage is extended to permit extension up to 1st January, 2025, midnight. Taxpayers and transporters who moved goods during the outage without generating e-way bills may generate required e-way bills on 1st January, 2025 via the portal, and may contact helpline or portal support for assistance.

Goods and Services Tax collection rises year on year, driven by domestic transactions and import duties; refunds increased, net receipts moderated.
The Goods and Services Tax gross receipts rose year on year in December with separate reporting of Central GST, State GST, Integrated GST and cess; domestic transactions and import duties were principal contributors. A marked increase in issued refunds reduced the growth rate of net GST collection, underscoring the distinction between gross mop up and net receipts after refund adjustments.

Biometric-based Aadhaar Authentication for GST registration requires GSK appointments and in-person document verification before ARN issuance.
Amendment to Rule 8 of the CGST Rules, 2017 enables identification on the common portal via data analysis, risk parameters, Biometric-based Aadhaar Authentication and applicant photograph, with physical verification of originally uploaded documents. GSTN's functionality, rolled out in Arunachal Pradesh, sends applicants after Form GST REG-01 either an OTP-based Aadhaar authentication link or an appointment booking link for a designated GST Suvidha Kendra where biometric authentication and document verification will be completed before ARN generation.

Bribery allegations prompt FIRs and trap operation investigation, with intermediaries detained and cash recovered during a PMLA linked probe.
Two FIRs allege bribery by an Enforcement Directorate assistant director in Shimla, linked to demands from educational institute promoters under a concurrent Prevention of Money Laundering Act probe; a monitored trap for cash handover was conducted, intermediaries detained and cash recovered while the officer is reported to have fled and remains sought by investigators.

Passenger data sharing requirement: airlines must forward international passenger PNR to customs before departure, subject to penalties.
Airlines operating international flights must share PNR and related passenger information with Customs 24 hours before departure, covering names, itinerary, billing/payment details, contact and baggage information, code share and travel agency data. Carriers must register with NCTC Pax to use the PNRGOV system; a phased rollout begins with a pilot, then full operation for individual airlines and later for those using global distribution systems. Non compliance exposes airlines to administrative fines under the Passenger Name Record Information Regulations, 2022.

Waiver scheme under Section 128A requires filing SPL 01 or SPL 02 for Section 73 demand notices via the GST portal.
Under the waiver scheme framed by Section 128A, taxpayers facing GST demand notices issued under Section 73 must apply electronically using FORM GST SPL 01 or FORM GST SPL 02 on the GST portal; FORM GST SPL 02 is presently available and FORM GST SPL 01 will be enabled soon. The advisory links to GSTN guidance and a help document for filing SPL 02, and directs taxpayers to report difficulties via the GST system helpdesk ticketing under "Issues related to Waiver Scheme."

Prefixing Receipt Numbers: require 'L' prefix for leased wagon entries in e way bills, ensuring system validation and alerts.
Taxpayers transporting goods in leased railway wagons must prefix Receipt Numbers with "L" in the E Way Bill system, select the transport mode as "Rail" in Part B using Multi Transport Mode, and enter the receipt in the format L123456789; the system will validate entries against the leased wagon database, issue alerts for discrepancies requiring correction, and support is available via the EWB portal. The prefixed entry mandate for PMS/FOIS (P/F) and leased wagon receipts will be enforced from Jan 1, 2025.

GST rate adjustments, exemptions and compliance reforms recommended to alter taxable treatment of specified goods, services and procedures.
The Council recommended targeted GST rate adjustments and exemptions for specified goods and services, clarified classification and levy issues, and proposed procedural and legislative amendments including a Track and Trace enabling provision, voucher-treatment clarifications, ISD and Invoice Management System changes, reduced pre-deposit for penalty-only appeals, and various compliance relief measures to be effected through notifications, circulars and law amendments.

Bribery and corruption: tax officials and a company representative arrested after a sting exposing demand and acceptance of illegal gratification.
Allegations concern solicitation and acceptance of illegal gratification by tax officials who inspected establishments, collected documents, summoned proprietors and demanded payments for undue favours; a sting operation intercepted an alleged bribe transaction, cash was recovered from an accused inspector, arrests were made and searches have recovered incriminating documents as the criminal investigation continues.

RR number entry format: ensure standardized RR No./eT-RRs are correctly entered to enable FOIS EWB validation and tracking.
Integration of FOIS with the E Way Bill system mandates that RR No./eT-RRs be entered in a standardized format in Part B when updating to Rail via the Multi Transport Mode option; the EWB portal will validate the RR against FOIS data and raise alerts on mismatches, so taxpayers must ensure accurate entry and raise support tickets for discrepancies.