Archive · 5 Oct 2026
GST Council Meeting Rescheduled to Thursday for Process Reforms
The GST Council is a group that makes decisions about India's goods and services tax.
Its next meeting has been moved to Thursday, October 8.
The meeting was first planned for September 12, but it was rescheduled because of the BRICS Leaders' Summit.
Council members are expected to discuss ways to make GST paperwork easier for businesses.
They may also look at making refunds faster and improving how businesses receive tax credits.
The article says big changes to tax rates are unlikely at this meeting.
Last year, the Council changed the main GST rates to 5% and 18%, with a higher rate for a few goods.
The 57th GST Council meeting will take place on Thursday, October 8, instead of Wednesday, according to an office memorandum.
The meeting, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, was initially planned for September 12 and later moved to October 7 because of a scheduling clash with the BRICS Leaders' Summit.
Officials said the meeting is expected to focus on GST process reforms, including simpler compliance, faster refunds and improvements to input tax credit disbursement.
Broad-based GST rate changes are considered unlikely, following last year's restructuring of the tax system.
The Council simplified the main GST rate slabs to 5% and 18%, with a 40% rate for a few luxury and sin goods, and reduced taxes on several household items and consumer products.
- Who
- The GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
- What
- The Council rescheduled its 57th meeting and is expected to discuss GST process reforms.
- When
- Thursday, October 8; the article says the meeting was moved from Wednesday.
- Where
- New Delhi.
- Why
- The meeting is expected to consider ways to simplify compliance, speed up refunds and improve input tax credit disbursement.
Process Reforms
Rate Changes
Likely focus of the meeting
Process Reforms
The meeting is expected to prioritize procedural changes to simplify business compliance, speed refunds and improve input tax credit disbursement.
Rate Changes
Broad-based changes to GST rates are considered unlikely; the article says the meeting is expected to build on last year's rate rationalization.
- Meeting
- 57th GST Council meeting
- Rescheduled date
- Thursday, October 8
- Earlier scheduled date
- September 12, later deferred to October 7
- Chair
- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
- Expected focus
- GST process reforms, including compliance, refunds and input tax credit disbursement
- Main rate slabs introduced last year
- 5% and 18%; a 40% rate applies to a few luxury and sin goods
- GST rollout
- The indirect tax regime was rolled out in July 2017