Delhi govt's GST, VAT collections rose by 17% in first half of FY24

The Delhi government's GST and VAT collections rose by 17 per cent in the first half of the current fiscal 2023-24 to more than Rs 19,100 crore, compared to the corresponding period last year, officials said on Tuesday.

The total Goods and Services Tax (GST) and value-added tax (VAT) collected by the Delhi government in the first half of 2022-23 was Rs 16,352 crore, they said.

"With this increase, the GST and VAT collections are likely to cross the estimated collection targets this year," said a senior government officer.

According to official figures, the Delhi government collected Rs 19,101 crore from GST and VAT in the first two quarters of 2023-24 (April-June and July-September) as compared to Rs 16,352 crore in the first half of FY 2022-23.

"The GST and VAT collections are likely to register a major jump with festival season leading to a shopping boom in the coming months," said the officer.

According to official figures, the month-wise collection of GST and VAT was Rs 3,886 crore in April, Rs 3,079 crore in May, Rs 2,865 crore in June, Rs 3,388 crore in July, Rs 2,883 crore in August and Rs 2,998 crore in September for FY 2023-24.

The Delhi government's GST collection rose 15 per cent in the first quarter of FY 2023-24 compared to FY 2022-23.

According to official figures, the first quarter collections of goods and services tax (GST) in the last five years almost doubled from Rs 4,419.71 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 8,028.91 crore in 2023-24.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier termed the rise in tax collections as an outcome of honest governance and asserted that it would be used to build more hospitals and schools in the city.