Under convention, the government releases GST revenue number on the basis of cash collection for a specific month. However, with the situation arising from COVID-19, the government has decided to wait until the extended deadline for filing returns before releasing the collection figures.
Sources said that due to the “unprecedented situation” that occurred as a result of the outbreak of coronavirus, it has been decided to postpone the release of the GST collection in April. No date has yet been decided to release this data, they said.
“The government will wait until May 5 before announcing the collections,” a source said.
For business activities in a particular month, GST returns must be filed in advance by the 20th of the next month. Therefore, GST returns had to be filed by April 20, which was extended to May 5.
According to another source, a low collection rate so far could have been the reason for postponing the GST data shipment on Friday. The nationwide shutdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 disease was imposed on March 25.