Cumulative GST up by 17.39%. SGST Cash growth highest in the Country: Harpal Singh Cheema
VAT & CST collections register 28.70% growth during September: Harpal Singh Cheema
Chandigarh, 1st October 2026
Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday annoinced that the state has recorded a robust 22.11 per cent year-on-year growth in Net GST collection during September 2026. The State’s Net GST collection increased from ₹1,973.12 crore in September 2025 to ₹2,409.47 crore in September 2026, registering an increase of ₹436.35 crore.
Giving details of the revenue performance in a press communique issued here, the Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “SGST cash collection increased from ₹738.05 crore to ₹877.82 crore, registering 19 per cent growth which is highest in the Country. The cumulative Gross GST collection up to September 2026 stood at ₹15,405.12 crore, compared with ₹13,112.27 crore during the corresponding period last year, reflecting growth of 17.39 per cent.”
Highlighting the performance of other major taxes, Cheema said, “VAT and CST collections during September increased by 28.70 per cent, from ₹577.11 crore in September 2025 to ₹742.75 crore in September 2026. Cumulatively, VAT and CST collections reached ₹4,558.48 crore, against ₹3,982.43 crore during the corresponding period last year, recording growth of 14.46 per cent with increase of Rs 576.05 Cr.”
Referring to the comparative GST data released for September 2026, the Finance Minister said that Punjab’s GST revenue grew by 16 per cent during the month, compared with 14 per cent growth at the all-India level. He further added that the growth in SGST cash is 19 per cent whereas at national level it is only 8 per cent.
Cheema said that alongside revenue mobilisation, the Excise and Taxation Department intensified intelligence-based enforcement and anti-evasion operations during September, with penalties amounting to approximately ₹142 crore imposed during the month. He said, “Enforcement operations focused on fraudulent Input Tax Credit, bogus billing, undocumented movement of goods and high-risk industrial and commercial corridors.”
Highlighting some of the major actions during the month, the Finance Minister said that proceedings against M/s Jagat Metals Pvt. Ltd., Mandi Gobindgarh, detected suspected wrongful availment of ITC amounting to approximately ₹22.53 crore, following which the taxpayer deposited ₹9.50 crore as SGST in cash during the proceedings. “In another major statewide road-checking operation, 332 vehicles carrying primarily iron scrap and iron and steel goods worth over ₹10 crore were detained. Proceedings in respect of the aforesaid vehicles have resulted in recovery of ₹5.07 crore towards penalties till date. As proceedings in respect of nearly half of the vehicles are still pending, the penalty amount is expected to increase substantially, potentially doubling the amount recovered so far”, said Cheema.
Reiterating the State Government’s focus on compliance, Finance Minister Cheema said that technology-driven analytics, intelligence inputs and coordinated field enforcement would continue to be used to detect tax evasion while facilitating compliant taxpayers. He said the Department would maintain close scrutiny of fraudulent ITC chains, bogus billing networks and movement of goods without prescribed documents, and action would be taken strictly in accordance with the provisions of law.
