Archive · 9 Oct 2026
GST Council Shifts Focus Toward Simpler, More Predictable Taxation
The GST Council has suggested changes to make India’s goods and services tax easier to use.
The authors say the focus is moving beyond changing tax rates to making the whole system work better.
Businesses may find it simpler to register and file returns.
Some businesses could get refunds faster when they have tax credits they cannot currently use.
The proposals also aim to make it easier to sell services across borders.
Some rules about tax credits and disputes may change too.
The authors believe these steps could free up money for businesses and reduce arguments about taxes.
These are recommendations, and the article describes their expected effects.
The authors describe the 57th GST Council meeting as a shift from stabilising tax rates toward improving how the system works.
Recommendations include simpler registrations and returns, automated processes, and faster refunds for exporters and businesses facing inverted duty structures.
The Council proposed expanding inverted duty refunds to input services and, in phases, capital goods, to address accumulated tax credits and working-capital constraints.
Other proposals include easing some blocked-credit restrictions and changing rules for performance-based services and export procedures.
The authors say proposed dispute and compliance changes could improve certainty and make India more attractive to businesses and exporters.
- Who
- The 57th GST Council and the authors, Tarun Bajaj, DP Nagendra Kumar and Mahesh Jaising.
- What
- Recommendations to simplify GST compliance, refunds, exports and dispute resolution, marking a shift toward tax-system optimisation.
- When
- At the 57th GST Council meeting; the article does not give its date.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- To address compliance complexity, working-capital blockages, export-related concerns and disputes, and to make the GST system more predictable and business-friendly.
- Meeting
- 57th GST Council meeting
- Stated reform direction
- From tax stabilisation toward tax optimisation
- Refund proposal
- Expand inverted duty structure refunds to input services and, in phases, capital goods
- Export-related proposal
- Remove place-of-supply restrictions for performance-based services
- Survey finding
- 77% of GST@9 Survey respondents cited refund delays
- Survey finding
- 54% flagged foreign-exchange realisation challenges; 43% sought simpler export refund processes
- Registration survey findings
- 62% sought standardised registration documentation and 49% called for faster approvals and amendments