📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ministry of Finance of India
Business
GST Council convenes today to discuss tax reforms and decriminalisation of offences
✍️ The Indian Express
🗓 08 Oct 2026, 07:32 PM
👁 14
The GST Council is meeting today to consider proposals for simplifying the tax structure and removing criminal penalties for minor GST violations.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has assembled for its scheduled meeting today, bringing together Union Finance Minister, state finance ministers and tax officials to review pending agenda items. The session is expected to focus on two major themes: structural reforms to the GST regime and the decriminalisation of low‑value offences.
Members are likely to examine proposals that aim to rationalise tax slabs, reduce compliance burdens for small traders and introduce a more uniform rate structure across states. Parallel discussions will address the government's push to treat minor GST infractions as civil matters rather than criminal offences, a move intended to ease the legal load on businesses.
If the council reaches consensus, the reforms could be drafted for Cabinet approval before the end of the fiscal year, potentially lowering the cost of compliance and encouraging formalisation in the informal sector. Stakeholders are watching closely, as any change to the decriminalisation framework may also alter the enforcement approach of tax authorities.
Members are likely to examine proposals that aim to rationalise tax slabs, reduce compliance burdens for small traders and introduce a more uniform rate structure across states. Parallel discussions will address the government's push to treat minor GST infractions as civil matters rather than criminal offences, a move intended to ease the legal load on businesses.
If the council reaches consensus, the reforms could be drafted for Cabinet approval before the end of the fiscal year, potentially lowering the cost of compliance and encouraging formalisation in the informal sector. Stakeholders are watching closely, as any change to the decriminalisation framework may also alter the enforcement approach of tax authorities.