Chandigarh: Punjab recorded a 12.5% rise in net GST collection in 2025-26, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Thursday, claiming the state outperformed the national average despite a mid-year dip linked to changes under GST 2.0.Cheema said Punjab’s net GST collection rose to Rs 26,601.1 crore in 2025-26, up from Rs 23,642.1 crore in 2024-25, an increase of Rs 2,959 crore.In March 2026 alone, the state recorded 16.6% growth, with net GST collection rising from Rs 1,913.8 crore in March last year to Rs 2,231.9 crore, an absolute increase of Rs 318.1 crore.He said SGST cash collections in March grew by 18%, compared with an estimated 7% national growth rate, placing Punjab among the better-performing large states.Cheema said the state saw strong growth in the first half of the financial year, with net GST collection rising by 23% between April and September 2025. However, collections dipped by 3% in the October-December quarter, which he attributed to disruptions caused by centrally driven GST 2.0 policy changes.He claimed the state recovered in the January-March 2026 quarter, with gross collection rising by 9% and net collection by 11%, offsetting the earlier slowdown.Cheema also said some large states, including Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, recorded negative growth in both March and annual GST figures.
