SRINAGAR, JAN 29: Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a more than 35 percent increase in GST revenue collection over the past one year.
Official figures accessed by Morning Kashmir reveal that J&K has recorded over 35 percent growth in GST revenue, which is far higher than the national average.
Likewise, there has been a substantial rise in GST taxpayers. In 2017, there were 72,000 taxpayers, a number that has now surged to approximately Rs 1.45 lakh.
The heightened GST collection was credited by a senior State Taxes Department official to a favourable uptick in tourism and overall economic expansion.
He mentioned that they successfully raised awareness among business owners to register for GST.
“People have realized that paying GST is for the benefit of people. We have also made an awareness campaign ‘Kartavya’ where our officials told common masses about the benefits of paying GST,” the official said.
The official said the effective adoption of the e-stamping system has improved precision, transparency, and efficiency.
An official of the Chief Secretary’s office said J&K is on the path of development. “We are getting good support from the people. The government is also committed to ensuring all benefits of schemes reach the common people,” the official said.
The official said opportunities for self-employment have been provided to around 8.50 lakh youths.
Similarly, the official said investment proposals of Rs 90,182 crores have been received so far, which will directly provide employment opportunities to more than four lakh people. Over 300 online services are integrated into the auto-appeal system, with Jammu and Kashmir reporting a remarkable 74.42 crore e-transactions in the past year. This averages over 2 million electronic transactions daily, surpassing the figures of several developed states. All welfare scheme beneficiaries now have Aadhaar-seeding, facilitating direct fund transfers. In the ongoing fiscal year, Rs. 2,754 crores have already been directly deposited into the accounts of 65 lakh beneficiaries, official data reveals.
