GST Council meeting LIVE: Key GST reforms on agenda

Live blogThe 57th GST Council meeting is underway in New Delhi, with key proposals on GST officers' arrest powers, input tax credit, refunds, registration, return filing and dispute resolution on the agenda. Follow India Today for LIVE updates on the key decisions, discussions and what they mean for taxpayers and businesses....Read MoreThe 57th GST Council meeting is to be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. (Photo: GettyImages)GST Council meeting LIVE: The 57th GST Council meeting, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, is being held in New Delhi on October 8. The meeting comes more than a year after the major GST rate rationalisation exercise undertaken at the 56th GST Council meeting in September 2025. This time, the focus is expected to be on simplifying GST compliance and improving the functioning of the tax system, with key proposals relating to GST officers' arrest powers, prosecution thresholds, input tax credit (ITC), faster refunds, GST registration, return filing, biometric Aadhaar authentication, penalties and dispute resolution. The Council may also consider measures that could ease compliance for businesses and MSMEs, protect genuine taxpayers from losing ITC because of supplier defaults and reduce working-capital blockages caused by delayed refunds. Follow India Today for LIVE updates from the GST Council meeting, including key discussions, decisions, recommendations, announcements and expert reactions, and understand what the proposed GST changes could mean for businesses, taxpayers and the wider economy. ...Read MoreOct 8, 2026 09:54 ISTGST Council to discuss curbs on GST officers' arrest powersThe GST Council is likely to discuss a proposal to curb the arrest powers of GST officers, with judicial authorisation potentially required before an arrest is made. The proposed changes seek to distinguish deliberate tax evasion and serious offences from routine compliance disputes. The Council is also considering raising the threshold for launching criminal prosecution under GST from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore. The proposal could also narrow the circumstances in which GST-related offences lead to criminal proceedings, potentially providing greater protection to genuine taxpayers while retaining stronger enforcement measures for serious tax evasion.