Taxation blues

CAG raises valid issues on revenue system inadequacies

Managing government finances in India is becoming increasingly difficult with lower revenue collection and higher spending commitments. If corrective measures are not taken immediately, it would continue to affect economic growth. On the revenue side, the inadequacy of the tax administration, particularly in the context of the goods and services tax (GST), is severely affecting collections. As a recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) showed, the GST, which is rightly seen as one of the biggest reforms in recent history, is not working as desired, and some of the implementation issues remain unaddressed. For instance,