India’s indirect tax base surged post-GST, projecting over 10 million registered taxpayers—a 25% increase from the VAT era.
Significant Growth in India’s Taxpayer Base Post-GST Rollout
Less than two months after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced, India has observed a notable increase in its indirect tax assessee count, effectively expanding the tax base. A senior official from the finance ministry indicated that the total number of individuals and entities who have either applied for or completed GST registration is expected to exceed 10 million soon. This represents a substantial growth from the approximately 8 million tax assessees under the previous VAT system, marking a 25% expansion that has been positively received by the Tax Department.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley confirmed on August 4th, 2017, that 7.2 million dealers transitioned to GSTN from the former VAT regime, with an additional 1.3 million new dealers also enrolling under the GST Network. Further details are available in a report by Livemint.
