The Kejriwal Government has achieved a record increase of 15% in GST collection. As compared to the GST collection of Rs 6985.05 crores in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2022-23, this time Delhi has collected Rs 8028.91 crores in the first quarter of this fiscal year.
Lauding this achievement, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Govts often say that they don’t have money for making good schools and hospitals. But our Govt in Delhi has shown that honest governance leads to increased revenue. Delhi’s first quarter GST collection has increased at an impressive 15% from last year. This is how we will have money to build more schools, more hospitals, more infrastructure for the people of Delhi.”
Sharing this information through a press conference on Thursday, Finance Minister Atishi said, “The Kejriwal government has set an example of honesty for the entire country. With the record growth in GST collection, we have proven that if the intentions are right, the governments will never face any shortage of funds.”
She mentioned that in the government led by CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi, the budget has been increased consistently for the past 8 years without imposing any new taxes on the public. The economy and budget growth of Delhi has made it clear that if the government is honest, the funds in the government treasury will increase. Therefore, for those governments who claim to have a shortage of funds, the Kejriwal government is an example that an honest government not only increases its revenue but also provides good schools, Mohalla clinics, and quality hospitals to the people of Delhi.
Finance Minister Ms Atishi added that often when it comes to the discussion of good schools and hospitals, public infrastructure, governments claim that they cannot build them due to a lack of funds. However, in the past 8 years, the government led by CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi has shown that if the intentions are right, governments will never face a shortage of funds. The fact that governments claim to lack funds is an indicator that something fishy is going on. The money that should have gone into the government treasury is ending up in someone else’s pocket.
She said, “Since the government of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal came into power in Delhi, the budget of the Delhi government has consistently increased. In the year 2014-15, Delhi’s total budget was Rs 30,000 crores. Within just 5 years, without imposing any new taxes, the government doubled this budget to Rs 60,000 crores in 2020. Furthermore, this year, the budget of Delhi has increased to Rs 75,000 crores. It is evident from this that if the government is honest, there will be no shortage of funds in any government. This trend can also be seen in Delhi’s GST collection.
She mentioned that Delhi is a state where GST collection has consistently increased. Looking at the figures of GST, in the first quarter when GST was introduced in 2018-19, the GST collection was Rs 4,419.71 crores. It increased to 4,668.23 crores in 2019-20. Due to the lockdown in the first quarter of 2020-21, businesses were closed, and the collection dropped to Rs 2,474.78 crores. However, as soon as the lockdown was lifted, the GST collection increased, and in the first quarter of 2021-22, it reached Rs 4,014.98 crores. In the previous year (2022-23), the GST collection in the first quarter was Rs 6,985.05 crores. I am pleased to inform you that in the current fiscal year 2023-24, the GST collection in the first quarter has increased by 15% and reached Rs 8,028.91 crores.
Finance Minister Ms Atishi said, “If we look at the economy and budget growth, one thing becomes clear, if the government is honest, funds in the government treasury increase. Therefore, for those governments who claim that they don’t have money, CM Arvind Kejriwal presents an example that an honest government not only increases its revenue but also provides good schools, Mohalla clinics, and quality hospitals to the people of Delhi.”
