The goods and services tax (GST) collection reached a record Rs 1.15 trillion in December, the third consecutive month of collections in excess of Rs 1 trillion. The government is inclined to project this performance as a potent sign of economic recovery. This is misleading. A festive season bump, payment backlogs from previous years and improved compliance via the extension of compulsory e-invoicing have all contributed to the December surge. It is a pointer, perhaps, to the need to stick with more compliance-enhancing procedural reforms, the top edit suggests here.
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