Punjab News:PUNJAB’S SGST CASH COLLECTION SURGES 28% AGAINST NATIONAL SGST GROWTH OF 14% IN OCTOBER: HARPAL SINGH CHEEMA
Punjab News:PUNJAB’S SGST CASH COLLECTION SURGES 28% AGAINST NATIONAL SGST GROWTH OF 14% IN OCTOBER: HARPAL SINGH CHEEMA
*Punjab’s gross GST collection reaches ₹2,716.60 crore in October, registering 14% growth: Harpal Singh Cheema*
*Cumulative gross GST collection grows 16.39% during April–October, against national growth of 15%: Harpal Singh Cheema*
*SGST cash collections cross ₹1,000 crore for second time in 2026, touching ₹1,030.29 crore in October: Harpal Singh Cheema*
*VAT and CST collections record impressive 23.76% growth, reaching ₹763.49 crore: Harpal Singh Cheema*
*Taxation Department imposes penalties of ₹111.12 crore in October; ₹20 crore tax recovered in Balaji Transport fraud case: Harpal Singh Cheema*
*Four more transporters booked in same GST fraud network following further investigation: Harpal Singh Cheema
Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday announced that Punjab has registered an exceptional 28.29 per cent growth in State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) cash collections during October 2026, compared with approximately 14 per cent growth in SGST collections at the national level, highlighting the State Government’s sustained efforts towards strengthening revenue mobilisation, improving tax compliance and curbing tax evasion.
Disclosing the latest collection figures, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Punjab’s SGST cash collections increased from ₹803.07 crore in October 2025 to ₹1,030.29 crore in October 2026, registering an additional collection of ₹227.22 crore and a remarkable growth of 28.29 per cent.*
Highlighting the achievement, Finance Minister Cheema said, “Punjab has crossed the ₹1,000 crore SGST cash collection milestone for the second time during 2026, following the collection of approximately ₹1,182 crore in April.” He said that this is the first time since the implementation of GST in 2017 that Punjab has achieved SGST cash collections exceeding ₹1,000 crore in October.
The Finance Minister further disclosed that Punjab’s gross GST collections during October 2026 reached ₹2,716.60 crore, compared with ₹2,393.22 crore during October 2025, registering an increase of ₹323.38 crore and growth of approximately 14 per cent.
Highlighting Punjab’s strong performance against the national trend during the current financial year, Cheema said, “State’s cumulative gross GST revenue registered growth of 16.39 per cent during April–October 2026, compared with national cumulative gross GST growth of approximately 15 per cent during the corresponding period.” He said that Punjab’s sustained revenue growth demonstrates the effectiveness of improved compliance monitoring, technology-driven scrutiny and stronger revenue administration.
Giving details of the cumulative performance, Finance Minister Cheema informed that Punjab’s gross GST collections during April–October 2026 reached ₹18,047.68 crore, compared with ₹15,505.66 crore during the corresponding period of the previous financial year, registering an additional collection of ₹2,542.02 crore.
Highlighting the strong performance under VAT and CST, the Finance Minister disclosed that the combined collections under these two tax heads increased by 23.76 per cent during October 2026, reaching ₹763.49 crore compared with ₹616.93 crore during October 2025. This represents an additional revenue of ₹146.56 crore, he added.
Cheema said that the encouraging growth across GST, VAT and CST reflects the Punjab Government’s comprehensive approach towards strengthening revenue mobilisation across all major tax streams through improved monitoring, better compliance and effective administrative measures.
Highlighting the department’s intensified enforcement activities, the Finance Minister disclosed that the Excise and Taxation Department imposed penalties amounting to ₹111.12 crore during October 2026 through sustained enforcement action against tax evasion, irregular transportation of goods, fake billing and other violations of GST provisions.
He said that the State Intelligence and Preventive Units (SIPUs), mobile wings and field formations have intensified intelligence-based road checking, inspections and scrutiny of suspicious transactions. “Special emphasis is being placed on detecting fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC), misuse of e-way bills and transportation of goods without genuine underlying business transactions”, said Cheema.
Referring to the major GST fraud network uncovered in connection with Balaji Transport Company, Ludhiana, the Finance Minister disclosed that the department has recovered ₹20 crore in tax in connection with the case.
Cheema said that the investigation had earlier revealed a suspected multi-state GST fraud network involving approximately 62 interconnected firms, with suspected tax evasion exceeding ₹400 crore. He said, “The network allegedly facilitated the movement of unaccounted goods through non-genuine invoices and e-way bills, including transactions in which the purported consignees denied having placed orders or received the declared supplies.”
The Finance Minister further revealed that subsequent detailed analysis of e-way bill transactions and further verification uncovered the suspected involvement of four additional transporters operating through the same network of consignor and consignee firms.
He said that these transporters were allegedly adopting the same fraudulent modus operandi by facilitating movement of goods using e-way bills without genuine underlying transactions and corresponding tax compliance. Following further verification, four more transporters have been booked in connection with the same fraud case, expanding the scope of the ongoing investigation.
Commenting on Punjab’s revenue performance, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Punjab’s SGST cash collection has registered remarkable growth of 28 per cent during October, against the national SGST growth of approximately 14 per cent. This encouraging performance, along with the crossing of the ₹1,000 crore SGST cash collection milestone for the second time this year, demonstrates the effectiveness of our government’s sustained efforts to improve tax compliance and strengthen revenue administration.”
He further stated, “Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab continues to strengthen its financial position through transparent administration, technology-driven tax monitoring and firm action against tax evasion. The State’s cumulative gross GST revenue growth of over 16 per cent during the first seven months of the financial year, against national growth of around 13 per cent, demonstrates the positive results of these efforts.”
Reiterating the State Government’s firm stand against tax evasion, Cheema said, “The penalties of ₹111.12 crore imposed during October and recovery of ₹20 crore in the Balaji Transport fraud case demonstrate that the government will not allow organised tax evasion networks to cause losses to the public exchequer. Our enforcement strategy is focused on identifying the real beneficiaries of fraudulent transactions and dismantling entire networks rather than merely detecting isolated violations.”
Appreciating the contribution of honest taxpayers and the efforts of departmental officers, the Finance Minister said that the Punjab Government remains committed to providing a transparent and business-friendly environment for genuine taxpayers while maintaining zero tolerance towards fake billing, fraudulent ITC claims and organised tax evasion.
He added that sustained growth in tax collections would further strengthen Punjab’s financial capacity to fund public welfare programmes, infrastructure development, healthcare, education and other essential services for the people of the State.