Recognising excellence in governance, SKOCH Award to J&K for highest growth rate in GST

The State Taxes Department of Government of J&K UT has been awarded SKOCH Award 2023 in Silver category for its successful implementation of GST: A note

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On this occasion, Commissioner STD J&K Dr. Rashmi Singh an IAS officer from AGMUT cadre applauded the efforts of the department in showing a remarkable progress of GST implementation in year 2022-23 and breaking all previous records. She said that winning SKOCH Award is a significant accomplishment and reflects the dedication and hard work of the whole team of employees of the department in both divisions of UT led by the respective Additional Commissioners Shakeel Maqbool ICAS, Namrita Dogra JKAS and Ankita Kar IRAS. She further added that this shall serve as a source of inspiration for others who are working towards similar goals.
With renewed motivation and enthusiastic leadership, the department has successfully been able to efficiently and effectively enhance revenue realisation while ensuring compliance. The SGST cash collection in April showing growth rate of 44 percent has been one of highest in the country and overall growth month over month in April also crossed 30 percent indicating improved efficiency in tax realisation.
Notably the department of state taxes in Jammu and Kashmir has launched several innovative ways to augment revenue in recent times such as enhancing taxpayer awarenes through a Campaign called KAR-tAVYA including seminars, workshops, and field outreach programs to educate taxpayers about their rights and responsibilities.
The State Taxes Department also stepped up its efforts to crack down on tax evasion, including conducting stock checking, inspections and audit to identify and penalise tax evaders.
Further, the department implemented a range of technological solutions, including setting up a dedicated Special investigation unit for data analytics, and use of BIFA, artificial intelligence, machine learning tools to automate tax administration processes and improve the efficiency of the tax system.
The Commissioner State Taxes Department J&K Dr. Rashmi Singh IAS during her last one year of stint in this dept herself participated in various outreach programmes in all districts of J and K including remote locations where she could engage with taxpayers, understand their concerns, thereby helping to build trust and improve communication between the State Taxes Department and the people it serves.
This resulted in more awareness and understanding of tax laws and regulations and improved compliances. Notably more than 25000 new dealers could be brought under the tax net . Dr. Rashmi Singh time and again reiterated that, "interaction with taxpayers offers clear and accessible information about tax requirements and procedures, thereby helping ensure that taxpayers are able to comply with the law and avoid potential penalties. At the same time, this helps in identifying areas where the tax system may need improvement or where there may be opportunities to make the process more efficient and user-friendly." she also brought her trademark approach of using ‘convergence’ as a tool to have a more synergistic working between central and state authorities dealing with J and K taxpayers and even within the department by breaking cylos which a govt system is characteristically challenged with. As an outcome the teams dedicated to circles and enforcement who were not working hand in hand started exchanging regular information and making joint strategies that have yielded good results.
Currently J&K with a GST GDP ratio of 3.65 is amongst the best performing GST jurisdictions in the country with the GST collections contributing to as much as 45% of the UT's own tax revenue. The growth in GST collections has outpaced the GSDP growth significantly in the last two financial years this indicating increased tax base and tax compliance.
The SKOCH Award, instituted in 2003, recognizes excellence in governance, inclusive growth, and other social and economic initiatives across India. The award recognizes projects and initiatives that have made a significant impact in improving the lives of people in the country.
The SKOCH Award in Silver category is a prestigious recognition that signifies that the project or initiative has achieved a high level of success and has demonstrated innovation, scalability, and sustainability.
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