Delhi’s gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection of the current fiscal year 2023-24 increased to Rs 8,028.91 crores in the first quarter as compared to the last year of Rs 6985.05 crore, an increase of 15 per cent.
According to figures shared by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Twitter, the first quarter collections of goods and services tax (GST) in the past five years almost doubled from Rs 4,419.71 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 8,028.91 crore in 2023-24. Lauding this achievement, Kejriwal said the growth meant his government will have more money to spend on building schools, hospitals and infrastructure.
“Governments often say they don't have money for making good schools and hospitals. But our government in Delhi has shown that honest governance leads to increased revenue. Delhi's first quarter GST collection has increased at an impressive 15 per cent from last year. This is how we will have money to build more schools, more hospitals, more infrastructure for the people of Delhi,” he tweeted. Interestingly, earlier this week, the Supreme Court has pulled up the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government after it claimed to have no money to pay for the construction of two Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors, with the court referring to the ambitious venture as a “development project of considerable importance”.
Sharing this information through a Press conference on Thursday, Finance Minister Atishi said with the record growth in GST collection, the Arvind Kejriwal government have proven that if the intentions are right, the governments will never face any shortage of funds.”
She mentioned that Delhi is a state where GST collection has consistently increased. Looking at the figures of GST, in the first quarter when GST was introduced in 2018-19, the GST collection was Rs 4,419.71 crores. It increased to 4,668.23 crores in 2019-20. Due to the lockdown in the first quarter of 2020-21, businesses were closed, and the collection dropped to Rs 2,474.78 crores. However, as soon as the lockdown was lifted, the GST collection increased, and in the first quarter of 2021-22, it reached Rs 4,014.98 crores.