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India's October GST Collections Jump 22.9% to ₹2.31 Lakh Crore as Import Revenue Surges 42%

India collected ₹2,31,290 crore in gross GST in October, up 22.9% from a year earlier and the second-highest month on a like-for-like basis, led by a 42.2% jump in import-linked revenue.

Nov 01, 2026 - 07:14

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India's gross goods and services tax (GST) collections rose 22.9% from a year earlier to ₹2,31,290 crore in October, according to official data released on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The figure compares with ₹1,88,125 crore in October 2025, the Hindustan Times reported, citing the government data.

GST collected in a given month largely reflects transactions carried out in the previous month, so the October total captures business activity in September, according to the Hindustan Times and The Hindu BusinessLine.

Imports led the increase

Revenue linked to imports climbed 42.2% to ₹72,246 crore, while gross domestic revenue grew 15.8% to ₹1,59,044 crore, the data showed. The October total was made up of central GST of ₹42,935 crore, state GST of ₹51,340 crore and integrated GST of more than ₹1.37 lakh crore, The Hindu reported, citing PTI.

Refunds rose 6.5% to ₹27,934 crore from ₹26,225 crore a year earlier. After refunds, net GST collections were ₹2,03,356 crore, up 25.6% from ₹1,61,900 crore in October 2025. Net domestic revenue rose 16.4%, while net revenue from imports grew 56.2% to ₹58,319 crore, The Economic Times reported.

Second-highest month on a comparable basis

The Hindustan Times said October's gross revenue was the second-highest monthly total since GST was introduced in July 2017, once figures are adjusted for the former compensation cess, which was phased out in February 2026. On that like-for-like basis, only April 2026, at ₹2,42,702 crore, was higher. Without that adjustment, October ranks third, behind April 2026 and April 2025, according to the newspaper. The year-earlier October figure was ₹1,95,936 crore before removing compensation cess of ₹13,451 crore.

For the first seven months of the fiscal year, from April through October, gross GST collections rose 13.2% to more than ₹14.77 lakh crore. Net collections for the period rose 13% to more than ₹12.69 lakh crore, The Hindu reported.

State-by-state picture

Maharashtra generated the most GST revenue, at ₹35,150 crore in October, up 13% from ₹31,013 crore a year earlier, according to The Economic Times. Karnataka followed with ₹15,922 crore, up 18%, and Gujarat collected ₹13,516 crore, up 16%.

Uttar Pradesh's collections rose 24% to ₹10,235 crore, Haryana's increased 17% to ₹11,529 crore and Delhi's grew 10% to ₹9,298 crore. Among larger states, Assam posted the fastest growth, with collections up 47% to ₹1,934 crore. Tamil Nadu recorded a 3% increase to ₹11,661 crore.

A few smaller jurisdictions reported declines. Sikkim's GST revenue fell 28% to ₹221 crore, Ladakh's dropped 20% to ₹63 crore, Puducherry's slipped 7% to ₹179 crore and Himachal Pradesh's eased 2% to ₹704 crore, The Economic Times reported.

What tax advisers said

Tax practitioners linked the increase to festive-season demand and higher purchases of inputs from abroad. "October collections capture the festive-season demand cycle, which typically brings higher consumer spending, retail activity and movement of goods across sectors," Manoj Mishra, a partner at Grant Thornton Bharat, said, according to BusinessLine. He added that import collections can be influenced by changes in import volumes, commodity prices and the value of imported goods.

Saurabh Agarwal, a tax partner at EY India, said that "the festive season should keep demand buoyant, and collections for the coming month are likely to remain strong," the Hindustan Times reported. He also said it may be time to revisit production-linked incentive schemes in sectors with unused budgets.

M.S. Mani, a partner at Deloitte India, noted that net collections, and not only gross collections, had crossed ₹2 lakh crore. "Since the festive season is ongoing, this robustness is expected to continue as it ties with leading macroeconomic indicators," he said. Abhishek Jain of KPMG in India said the numbers "provide a positive signal for revenue mobilisation."

Policy background

Monthly collections have settled around ₹2 lakh crore since the GST Council's rate overhaul in September 2025, the Hindustan Times reported. At that meeting, the council moved to a simplified structure with two main slabs of 5% and 18%, plus a special 40% rate for luxury and so-called sin goods. On October 8, 2026, the council approved a set of compliance changes, including decriminalising various offences under GST and removing tax officials' power to arrest business owners, according to the newspaper.

Indian equity markets were closed for the weekend and reopen on Monday, November 2, when investors will have their first chance to trade on the tax data alongside October vehicle sales figures that automakers also released on Sunday.