Brief

Finance Ministry sets internal deadline for GST Network upgrade ahead of GST Amendment Bill

The ministry aims to update the GST Network to incorporate 57th GST Council reforms and will introduce the amendment bill in Parliament before April 2027.

By Felo News Desk · Published Tue, 13 Oct 2026 04:38:22 GMT

India's Ministry of Finance has imposed an internal deadline for the GST Network (GSTN) to upgrade its systems in line with reforms approved at the 57th GST Council meeting, officials told the New Indian Express. The GST Amendment Bill, which will embed those changes, is slated to be tabled in Parliament before April 2027.

An unnamed finance official said the upgrade is essential for the network to support states and act as a facilitator for businesses. The Department of Revenue will review and modify risk rules within three months, aiming to increase the share of low‑risk refunds, which currently exceed 50%.

The GST Council's proposals include de‑criminalising tax evasion, removing arrest powers for GST officers, and introducing faceless assessments, with the prosecution threshold raised from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore.

Key facts

• The Finance Ministry set an internal deadline for GSTN upgrades to reflect 57th GST Council reforms. (newindianexpress.com)
• The GST Amendment Bill will be tabled in Parliament before April 2027. (newindianexpress.com)
• Risk rules will be reviewed and modified within three months, aiming to raise low‑risk refunds above 50%. (newindianexpress.com)
• The GST Council proposed de‑criminalising tax evasion, removing arrest powers, and raising the prosecution threshold to Rs 5 crore. (newindianexpress.com)

Sources

• [1] newindianexpress.com — originally reported as “Finance ministry sets reform deadline for GSTN; Amendment Bill to be tabled before April 27”