GST Council meeting on Sept 12 to address ITC and compliance

The Goods and Services Tax Council is scheduled to convene for its 57th meeting in New Delhi on September 12, 2026, marking its first gathering in over a year. The meeting, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, will be preceded by an officers' meeting on September 11. An office memorandum issued by Revenue Secretary Arvind Shrivastava confirmed the schedule. The council's return follows a significant period that included state assembly elections and the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Its last meeting was held on September 3, 2025, where members approved a major rate rationalization under the "GST 2.0" reforms. Effective September 22, 2025, the GST structure was simplified into two primary slabs of 5% and 18%, with a special 40% rate for ultra-luxury and sin goods, replacing the previous four-tier system. While the formal agenda for the upcoming meeting is yet to be finalized, tax experts and industry representatives anticipate a focus on compliance, ease of doing business, and resolving transition issues stemming from the 2025 overhaul. A central concern is the treatment of input tax credit (ITC), particularly regarding supplier defaults.