GST Council meets tomorrow after a gap of 13 months
The 57th GST Council meeting on 8 October is expected to focus on process reforms such as faster refunds and easier compliance, with GST rates likely to stay unchanged.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is set to meet on Thursday, 8 October 2026, for its 57th meeting at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. It is the first meeting in about 13 months. The previous one was held on 3 and 4 September 2025. This meeting was first planned for 12 September, was moved because of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, and was later rescheduled again to 8 October.
What is on the table
The formal agenda had not been made public at the time of writing. The points below are what media reports expect the Council to discuss; none of them is a decision yet. The focus is described as process reforms rather than changes in tax rates.
Refunds: a proposed framework would give a taxpayer an acknowledgement of a refund claim within 10 days and release 90% of eligible refunds after a risk check. Claims now take about 25 days on average, reports say. A wider mechanism to refund accumulated input tax credit under inverted-duty structures is also expected, with refunds for input services possibly starting in the current financial year and those for capital goods from April 2027.
Input tax credit: a buyer who holds a valid invoice, has received the goods and has paid in full would keep the credit even if a supplier higher up the chain defaulted, according to reports.
Registration and small businesses: reports expect simpler GST registration, including for e-commerce sellers. They say about 61% of registrations are already approved within three working days without an officer stepping in, and that 66% of amendment applications are proposed to be processed automatically. An optional annual return with quarterly tax payment is expected for businesses with turnover up to Rs 5 crore.
Exports and enforcement: reports also point to clarity on exports of services supplied through overseas branches of Indian companies, which could ease litigation for technology and BPO firms. The Council is also expected to discuss removing the power to arrest taxpayers while keeping prosecution for deliberate fraud and serious offences. That would need changes in law by Parliament.
Rates
No fresh rate rationalisation is expected at this meeting. The existing two-rate structure is likely to stay, and reports say future rate changes may be considered once a year and take effect from 1 April.
What to watch
With no rate change expected, any market reaction is likely to depend on the decisions on refunds, input tax credit and compliance. CapitCue will update this page if the Council announces its decisions.
This story was compiled by CapitCue from the media reports listed below. It is not an official statement of the GST Council, and CapitCue provides information only; it is not investment or tax advice.