Gross goods and services tax collections rose 22.9% from a year earlier to ₹2.31 lakh crore in October, the second-highest month on record after April’s ₹2.43 lakh crore. It was also the second month in a row above ₹2 lakh crore.
Imports grew fastest
Tax on domestic transactions rose 15.8% to ₹1.59 lakh crore. Tax collected on imports rose 42.2% to ₹72,246 crore.
Refunds rose 6.5% to ₹27,934 crore. Net collections came to ₹2,03,356 crore, against ₹1,61,900 crore a year earlier.
Festive buying helped
Tax experts linked the domestic growth to festive spending. Maharashtra collected the most at ₹35,150 crore, up 13%. Karnataka grew 18%, Gujarat 16% and Uttar Pradesh 24%.
For April to October, gross collections are ₹14.77 lakh crore, up 13.2% from the same period last year.