RTI Uncovers Rs. 4.76 Crore Govt. Spending on GST Reforms Advertisements Amid Ongoing Compliance Struggles

According to the information received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, the Government of India has spent a total of Rs. 4.76 crore of public money on advertisements (like print media, electronic media, social media, hoardings, and billboards) related to GST reforms, named as “GST Reforms Bachat Utsav.” As per the declaration, this spending has been done to promote amendments and corrections introduced to the nation’s GST system in the time period between September 04, 2025, and October 28, 2025.

The Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, had sought information under the RTI Act 2005. The reply of RTI has clarified that the CBC on behalf of the Government of India has spent a total of Rs. 4.76 crore as of now on advertisements in regard to GST reforms (also known as Bachat Utsav) promotion during the said period. The RTI application was submitted on November 20, 2025, and the reply was issued on December 24, 2025.

The serious concern here is that the government has spent this massive amount on advertisements just to highlight “reforms” and “savings” under GST, despite several of these amendments being introduced to resolve issues created by the government’s own flawed GST rollout.

Taxpayers, professionals, and businesses were tackling a convoluted GST system from years of frequent rule changes, technical glitches, and compliance burdens under GST. Instead of admitting these failures and working on improving these bottlenecks, the government chose to spend crores on self-promotion.

Several individuals on social media are criticizing this action of the government and raising the argument that this money belongs to taxpayers and should be utilized in reducing compliance costs, improving GST infrastructure, or compensating small businesses that suffered due to constant changes.

Further arguments have been raised highlighting that the government has spent this large amount on promoting advertisements just to praise their corrections and mistakes made in the past, which appears to be a complete waste of money, especially at a time when many small traders and professionals are still struggling with GST-related issues.

The RTI reply also mentions that if the applicant is dissatisfied with the information provided, they are allowed to file an appeal before the Appellate Authority of the CBC within 30 days of receiving the RTI reply.