Punjab minister urges taxpayers to join GST amnesty scheme

Punjab's finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema is focusing on increasing participation in the state's GST amnesty scheme. This scheme is aimed at helping taxpayers who have not committed fraud. Cheema held a meeting with senior officials from the taxation department to discuss strategies. He stressed the need for public awareness campaigns, using both traditional media and social media to reach eligible taxpayers. The goal of the scheme is to help taxpayers clear their dues without penalties or interest. Taxpayers can settle outstanding payments from the financial years 2017-18 to 2019-20 by March 31. They must also submit the necessary forms by June 30 to complete the process. The minister also ordered officials to meet their revenue targets. During the meeting, he learned about recent revenue growth, particularly in VAT and GST collections. VAT saw a 5.74% increase, while GST grew by 13.39% as of February 2025. The Ludhiana and Amritsar regions have notably contributed to this success.