Amid COVID second wave, Odisha records highest-ever GST collection of Rs 3849 crore

BHUBANESWAR: Amid a fierce COVID-19 second wave, Odisha recorded the highest ever GST collection of Rs 3849.48 crore, including Rs 1126.67 crore of SGST in April, posting an overall growth of around 17% over the collection in March.

The growth in collection of tax in April over the total collection in March, which was supposed to be the month of highest collection being the end of financial year, indicated an impressive turnaround of the state economy.

Finance department sources said the gross GST collection of Rs 3849.48 crore last month was the highest since the inception of the GST regime in Odisha as Rs 2955.6 crore was collected during April 2019 and Rs 774.29 crore in April 2020.

The state collected Rs 1126.67 crore SGST, Rs 952.43 crore CGST, Rs 1157.05 crore IGST and Rs 613.33 crore cess in April.

The SGST collection was Rs 927.6 crore in April 2019 and it drastically came down to Rs 360.36 crore in April last year due to nationwide lockdown for the pandemic. The previous highest was Rs 954.62 crore collected in March this year.

The significant rise in SGST collection during April has been attributed to better compliance, increased collection from the iron and steel sector besides from matured GST demand made by tax officers after return scrutiny.

Since all VAT paying dealers (petrol and liquor) had paid tax till March 25 during the month of March itself, the balance collection of Rs 218.95 crore for remaining five days was collected during April as against Rs 130.11 crore in the same month last year and Rs 183.92 crore in April 2019.

Of the total collection, petroleum products registered a growth of 175.31% with Rs 166.87 crore in April as compared to Rs 60.61 crore in the same month last year.