October 2: India’s gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections rose 14.7% from a year earlier to ₹2,03,521 crore, or about ₹2.04 lakh crore, in September 2026, official data released on Thursday showed. It was the third month in a row that collections stayed above ₹2 lakh crore, news agency IANS reported. After refunds, net GST revenue grew faster, by 18.1%, to ₹1,76,520 crore. But most of the momentum came from taxes on imports. Collections from domestic transactions grew at a slower 10.1%.
Key highlights
- Gross GST: ₹2,03,521 crore, up 14.7% from about ₹1.77 lakh crore in September 2025.
- Net GST (after refunds): ₹1,76,520 crore, up 18.1%.
- Domestic collections: ₹1,37,996 crore, up 10.1% from ₹1,25,334 crore.
- Import-linked collections: ₹65,525 crore, up 25.9% from ₹52,031 crore.
- Refunds: ₹27,001 crore, down 3% from ₹27,848 crore, according to Business Today.
- April to September: Gross collections of ₹12,46,278 crore, up 11.6%.
How the ₹2.04 lakh crore breaks down
According to IANS, Central GST (CGST) brought in ₹37,762 crore, State GST (SGST) ₹45,363 crore and Integrated GST (IGST) ₹1,20,396 crore. IGST is charged on goods and services that move between states and on imports.
Imports are doing the heavy lifting
The gap between the two engines of GST is wide. Import-linked collections grew 25.9% in September, more than twice the 10.1% growth in domestic collections. The same pattern was visible in August, when overall collections rose 14.8%, import-related taxes jumped 29% and domestic collections grew 9.3%, IANS said. We covered the August numbers here.
The half-year numbers show it even more clearly. Between April and September, gross import collections rose 27.1% to ₹3.72 lakh crore, while gross domestic collections rose only 6.1% to ₹8.74 lakh crore. “The divergence between domestic and import-linked collections is also reflected in cumulative numbers,” Business Today noted.
The data release does not explain why import-linked collections are rising so quickly. Domestic collections are the closer measure of what households and businesses are buying within India.
Lower refunds lifted net revenue
Net revenue grew faster than gross revenue because refunds fell. Total refunds were ₹27,001 crore in September, 3% lower than a year ago. Domestic refunds fell 13.5% to ₹13,504 crore, while refunds on the import side rose 10.2% to ₹13,497 crore, Business Today reported. Net of refunds, GST from the customs side was ₹52,028 crore, up 30.8%.
State-wise picture is uneven
Business Today’s state-wise table shows strong growth in most large states, but a fall in a few.
- Maharashtra: ₹29,986 crore, up 15%.
- Karnataka: ₹13,884 crore, up 16%.
- Gujarat: ₹12,222 crore, up 17%.
- Tamil Nadu: ₹10,188 crore, down 5%.
- Uttar Pradesh: ₹8,882 crore, up 18%.
- Delhi: ₹6,354 crore, up 12%.
- West Bengal: ₹5,549 crore, up 6%.
- Telangana: ₹5,327 crore, up 18%.
- Assam: ₹2,415 crore, up 88%, the sharpest rise among larger states.
Collections also fell in Jammu and Kashmir (29%), Uttarakhand (23%) and Himachal Pradesh (21%), and were flat in Rajasthan at ₹4,151 crore.
The half-year position
For the first six months of the financial year 2026-27, gross GST collections stood at ₹12,46,278 crore, up 11.6% from ₹11.17 lakh crore a year earlier. Net collections were ₹10.66 lakh crore, up 10.4% from ₹9.65 lakh crore.
What to watch
GST paid in a month mostly reflects sales made in the previous month. So the festive-season demand of October and November will show up in the collections reported in the following months. The finance ministry’s latest monthly review has flagged costly oil and El Niño as risks to the economy, as we reported on Thursday.
Sources
- Business Today: September GST collections rise 14.7% to ₹2.04 lakh crore
- Business Today: GST state wise collection September 2026: Assam jumps 88%, UP 18%; Tamil Nadu falls 5%
- IANS via The Hans India: Gross GST collection rises 14.7 pc to almost Rs 2.04 lakh crore in September
The Business Desk covers markets, the economy, companies and personal finance. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
