Chandigarh, Aug 1 (PTI) Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday said the state's gross GST revenue grew by 20 per cent during the first four months of the 2026-27 financial year to Rs 10,447.9 crore, compared with Rs 8,708.48 crore in the corresponding period last year.

In a statement, Cheema attributed the increase to improved tax compliance, intelligence-based enforcement and technology-driven tax administration.

He said Punjab collected gross GST revenue of Rs 2,614.45 crore in July 2026, up 8.31 per cent from Rs 2,413.91 crore collected in July last year.

The minister said the state's SGST cash collection increased from Rs 815.84 crore in July 2025 to Rs 948.29 crore in July 2026, registering a growth of 16.23 per cent.

He claimed the increase was among the highest in the country and reflected better voluntary tax compliance and higher actual tax payments by businesses.

Cheema said the Punjab government had also focused on facilitating compliant taxpayers by ensuring timely GST refunds. More than Rs 200 crore in GST refunds were sanctioned during July to improve liquidity and support ease of doing business, he said.

He added that while genuine taxpayers were being assisted, the Excise and Taxation Department had intensified its action against tax evasion and fraudulent practices. According to the minister, enforcement drives carried out across the state during July resulted in penalties exceeding Rs 200 crore.

He said the department used data analytics and risk profiling to identify tax evasion and fake input tax credit (ITC) networks.

Cheema said a major action during the month involved registration of an FIR in Jalandhar in connection with an alleged bogus billing scam involving transactions worth about Rs 55.35 crore. The main accused was arrested under the Punjab GST Act, he added.

The minister said the department had also launched a campaign against fake GST registrations obtained by misusing Rule 14A. Following field verification and scrutiny, more than 100 GST registrations were cancelled to prevent fraudulent claims and misuse of the registration system, he said.

Cheema further said the department had stepped up recovery of long-pending VAT arrears. During the current financial year, Rs 12.39 crore was recovered through attachment and auction of properties belonging to chronic VAT defaulters, he said, adding that the recovery drive would continue.

He said the Excise and Taxation Department would continue strengthening compliance through advanced analytics, digital governance, targeted enforcement and taxpayer-centric initiatives to improve revenue collection while ensuring transparency and ease of doing business. PTI VSD MR