Gross GST revenue collected in the month of Dec'18 declined to INR 94,726 crore from around INR 97,637 crore in Nov'18. Collections for CGST were INR 16,442 crore, SGST INR 22,459 crore,  IGST INR 47,936 crore and Cess INR 7,888 crore.

Insight: The collections in December are even lower than the average monthly collection of around INR 97,000 cr in the past eight months, going against the government expectations of sustained upswing in collections going ahead. Lower collections on the back of festive season transactions in November paints a concerning picture of consumption activity. Revenues are bound to come under further pressure in the coming months as GST rate cuts on 23 items are to come into effect from Jan'19. The government expects better collections as the new compliance framework comes into effect from next year and further anti-evasion measures are undertaken.  Total number of GSTR 3B returns filed is 72.44 lakh slightly up from 69.6 lakh last month.