The 57th GST Council meeting, earlier scheduled for September 12, will now be held on October 7, 2026.
The Council may discuss easier GST registration rules, automation in cancellations and other compliance reforms.
Highlights
- 57th GST Council meeting shifted from September 12 to October 7.
- Rescheduling comes due to the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12–13.
- Officials are expected to meet on October 5 and 6 ahead of the Council meeting.
The 57th meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has been rescheduled to October 7, 2026, from the earlier proposed date of September 12, according to the report. The change has been made because India is hosting the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
Ahead of the GST Council meeting, officials are expected to hold preparatory discussions on October 5 and 6. The Council meeting will be chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and attended by finance ministers and representatives from states and Union Territories.
The upcoming meeting is significant as it comes more than a year after the previous GST Council meeting. The 56th meeting was held on September 3 and 4, 2025, when the Centre and states considered major changes relating to GST rates and classifications.
One of the key issues likely to be discussed at the October meeting is simplifying the GST registration process for businesses that pass on more than Rs 2.5 lakh of input tax credit every month.
At present, procedures for granting GST registrations to such businesses may vary between the Central GST administration and different state GST departments. A more uniform system could help reduce uncertainty for taxpayers and businesses.
The GST Council may also consider greater automation in the process of cancelling GST registrations, along with other procedural and compliance-related changes.
In its September 2025 meeting, the Council had approved a simplified registration mechanism for small and low-risk businesses, which was implemented from November 1.
Under the system, eligible applicants identified as low-risk through GST system data analysis can opt for simplified registration. Businesses that assess their monthly output tax liability at not more than Rs 2.5 lakh, including CGST, SGST or UTGST and IGST, can also qualify subject to applicable conditions.
Around 1.68 crore businesses are currently registered under the GST framework.
The October 7 meeting could therefore focus on expanding ease-of-doing-business measures while making GST registration and compliance procedures more consistent and automated.
