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Despite vast income disparities across states, there is minimal variation in the goods and services tax collections, according to a recent Crisil report. While per capita GST, a proxy for per capita consumption expenditure, is higher in richer states, the growth in GST collections appears unrelated to the state's income level, the rating agency said. For instance, the average GST growth during the five-year period, i.e., between fiscal 2020 and 2024 in Telangana — with the highest per capita income at Rs 3,44,219 — stood at 14.7%, not much different from the 15.6% growth in Bihar, which has the lowest per capita income at Rs 59,639.

Online Gaming companies have been reeling under a slew of retrospective tax notices since September 2022, with Gameskraft, Delta Corp, and others receiving notices to pay Rs 1.12 lakh crore (the total due), as per the GST department’s calculations (at 28 percent on the face value of bets). The sector might also not get any prospective relief at the next GST council meeting scheduled to be held in June, after the formation of the new government, as many companies are hoping.

The Supreme Court on May 3 indicated that in July 2024 it would hear a batch of petitions challenging demand notices asking online gaming companies to pay 28 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the full face value of bets. A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud said this while hearing a plea filed by Baazi Networks Private Limited, which owns Baazi Games, challenging notices issued to them.

Five states, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, have shown interest in rolling out Aadhaar-based authentication for GST registration, an official said on Monday. The biometric-based authentication was discussed at the third National Coordination Meeting of senior Central and State GST officers earlier this month. Currently, two states, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Puducherry have launched the Aadhaar authentication of taxpayers on a pilot basis.