Kolkata, Oct. 1 -- The state's GST kitty may be swelling, but the shine may already be beginning to fade. West Bengal collected Rs 5,549 crore in GST in September, up 6 per cent from a year ago, even as softer growth in underlying SGST collections points to a less buoyant domestic revenue trend as the state enters the second half of the financial year.
The state's pre-settlement SGST actually slipped 1 per cent in September 2026 to Rs 1,959 crore against Rs 1,979 crore in September 2025.
For April-September, pre-settlement SGST stood at Rs 12,595 crore, marginally below Rs 12,780 crore a year earlier.
The picture improves substantially after IGST settlement. Bengal's post-settlement SGST rose 5 per cent in September to Rs 3,971 crore, while the April-September figure increased 9 per cent to Rs 24,949 crore from Rs 22,904 crore.
This divergence is significant for the state's finances. While the broader GST system continues to generate higher revenues, Bengal's own pre-settlement SGST numbers suggest that growth in taxable domestic economic activity has not accelerated at the same pace. Nationally, domestic gross GST collections rose 10.1 per cent in September, compared with Bengal's 6 per cent overall state-wise growth.
The numbers therefore put the focus on the state's ability to widen its tax base and translate economic activity into sustained own-tax revenue.
For Bengal, stronger formalisation of trade and services, higher industrial activity and investment-led growth would have a direct bearing on revenue mobilisation.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.