Kerala Must Boost IGST Collection Along With GST Revenue: Minister C P John:

Kerala should now focus on increasing its Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) collection along with improving GST revenue, Transport Minister C P John said.

Speaking at the inauguration of a two-day national conference on second-generation GST reforms organised by the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT) and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), John said the state’s GST collection had increased in recent months.

He said steps were needed to prevent tax evasion and improve IGST collection. According to him, goods are moving across the state without proper checks, making it difficult to track tax evasion. He suggested introducing vehicle number plate recognition systems to monitor the movement of goods vehicles.

John also released a new publication of GIFT Economy and Fiscal Watch at the event. Eminent economist Prof M A Oommen attended the programme.

Kerala State Planning Board Vice-Chairman K M Chandrasekhar, who chaired the session, said GST collection in August was strong and that the state’s revenue was showing an upward trend. He expressed hope that Kerala would be able to maintain this growth.

Chandrasekhar also highlighted several challenges in the GST system, including complex digital and technological processes, delays in transferring IGST to states and the absence of strong mechanisms to resolve disputes between states and between the Centre and states.

Senior economist Arvind Modi, who delivered the keynote address, said GST should be a broad-based tax system with moderate tax rates, full input tax credit and fewer exemptions.