VAT Collections Witness a Massive 23.28% Growth Resulting in ₹230 Crore Increase: Harpal Singh Cheema
PSDT Collections Register a 20.43% Surge Adding ₹35 Crore to the State Exchequer: Harpal Singh Cheema
Growth Attributed to Improved Monitoring, Robust Enforcement, and Taxpayer Facilitation: Harpal Singh Cheema
Chandigarh, 3rd May 2026
Highlighting a major milestone in the state’s revenue generation, Punjab Finance, Excise and Taxation Minister of Sunday announced that the state has recorded a significant financial boost for April 2026, driven by an impressive double-digit surge in both Value Added Tax (VAT) and Punjab State Development Tax (PSDT) collections. The Finance Minister said, “The state successfully secured approximately ₹265 crore in combined supplementary revenue from these two sectors, an achievement driven entirely by enhanced monitoring mechanisms, stringent enforcement protocols, and a transparent tax administration framework.”
Sharing the comprehensive details of this financial success, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the consistent upward trajectory in these specific tax domains highlights the government’s clear policy priorities. The Finance Minister said, “I am pleased to announce that our VAT collections have experienced a remarkable growth of 23.28% for the month of April 2026. This significant momentum has registered an absolute increase of approximately ₹230 crore for the state exchequer, demonstrating our sustained improvements in tax administration and compliance.”
Elaborating on the concurrent success in the state’s development tax revenue, Finance Minister Cheema detailed the highly positive trends witnessed in the PSDT sector. He said, “Alongside the strong performance in VAT, our PSDT collections have increased by an impressive 20.43%. This percentage translates directly into an increase of around ₹35 crore. These figures are a direct reflection of our improved monitoring and rigorous enforcement protocols within the sector.”
The Finance Minister Cheema attributed this overall economic progress to the diligent implementation of advanced monitoring tactics and a steadfast commitment to fair governance. He said, “This robust performance in VAT and PSDT underscores our government’s focused strategy of combining technology-driven enforcement with proactive taxpayer facilitation. We have built a robust enforcement framework aimed at safeguarding government revenue. I assure the citizens of Punjab that strict actions against tax evasion will continue, while we simultaneously ensure a completely fair and transparent taxation system for all compliant taxpayers.”
