8 Years of GST in India: What Has It Really Achieved?
India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) turned eight years old in July 2025. When it was first introduced in July 2017, GST was hailed as one of the country’s biggest tax reforms. Its promise was simple yet powerful: “One Nation, One Tax.”
It aimed to merge multiple indirect taxes into one uniform system, making compliance easier for businesses and bringing more transparency. Today, GST is part of our daily lives—from a cup of tea at your local stall to buying a car, almost everything you buy includes GST.
But after eight years, what has GST really delivered? Let’s look at five major highlights that show how far the system has come.
✅ 1️⃣ ‘One Nation, One Tax’ Became Reality
Before GST:
Businesses had to navigate multiple indirect taxes like:
VAT (Value Added Tax)
Service Tax
Excise Duty
Entry Taxes and Octroi
This made compliance complicated and created barriers for goods moving across states, often leading to long queues at checkposts.
After GST:
GST merged these different taxes into a single, uniform system.
✔️ Businesses now deal with just one indirect tax structure.
✔️ Goods can move freely across state borders.
✔️ No more state border checkposts or paperwork hassles.
✅ Result:
Ease of doing business improved dramatically for manufacturers, traders, and transporters alike.
✅ 2️⃣ Boost to the Formal Economy
One of GST’s biggest achievements is how it pushed more businesses into the formal tax net.
✔️ Small traders, start-ups, and online sellers now need to register under GST once they cross certain turnover limits.
✔️ This brings greater transparency and compliance.
✔️ It has also created a more level playing field, reducing tax evasion and the grey economy.
✅ The Numbers Tell the Story:
As of April 30, 2025, India had over 1.51 crore active GST-registered businesses—a strong sign of formalisation.
✅ 3️⃣ Stronger Revenue Collection for India
GST has also boosted India’s indirect tax revenue.
✔️ By unifying multiple taxes, GST reduced leakages and broadened the taxpayer base.
✔️ It improved transparency in how taxes are collected and credited.
✅ Record Performance:
According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB):
FY 2024–25 GST collections hit ₹22.08 lakh crore, a robust 9.4% rise over last year.
Monthly GST collections averaged ₹1.84 lakh crore.
✅ This growth supports India’s fiscal health, funding public services and infrastructure.
✅ 4️⃣ Easier Filing and Compliance for Taxpayers
When GST was launched in 2017, one big concern was the complexity of filing returns.
✔️ Over eight years, the GST Council and GSTN have simplified this process.
✔️ The GST Portal is now much more user-friendly.
✔️ Mobile apps and online services allow taxpayers to:
File returns easily.
Track input tax credit (ITC).
Make payments securely online.
✅ For Small Businesses:
The QRMP (Quarterly Return with Monthly Payment) scheme helps small businesses file quarterly returns while paying monthly taxes.
This reduces compliance burden without affecting revenue flow.
✅ 5️⃣ Better Centre-State Coordination
GST didn’t just reform taxes—it changed how India’s Centre and states work together.
✔️ The GST Council is a unique body with the Union Finance Minister and all state finance ministers as members.
✔️ It meets regularly to:
Set tax rates.
Decide exemptions.
Resolve disputes and issues.
✅ Result:
True cooperative federalism.
States and the Centre jointly make decisions, ensuring everyone has a say.
Issues are resolved through discussion, not confrontation.
✅ Challenges Remain – But the Path Forward is Clear
Of course, GST is still evolving.
✔️ Challenges like rate rationalisation and plugging tax leaks remain.
✔️ Businesses want even simpler returns and fewer classifications.
✔️ The government is working on new systems to improve invoice matching, reduce fraud, and streamline refunds.
But one thing is clear:
✅ In these eight years, GST has transformed India’s indirect tax system.
✅ It has made compliance simpler, improved transparency, boosted revenues, and strengthened the formal economy.
✅ 📌 Conclusion
As India continues to grow, GST is expected to get even better—simpler for businesses to comply with, more efficient for governments to administer, and fairer for consumers who want transparent pricing.
Whether you’re a small trader, big business, or consumer, GST has become an unavoidable and essential part of daily life—and it’s here to stay.
✅ Need help with GST Registration, Filing, or Advisory?
Taxgyany can help you stay compliant and stress-free.
📞 Call/WhatsApp: 730 430 7888
🌐 www.taxgyany.com
📧 Email: info@taxgyany.com
👉 Let’s simplify GST compliance together!