BRICS Summit forces GST Council meeting reschedule

The 57th GST Council meeting, originally scheduled for September 12, has been postponed due to the BRICS Summit clash and is now likely to be held on October 7 in New Delhi. Preparatory meetings of GST officers are set for October 5–6. The Council, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, will deliberate on pending issues like input tax credit, refunds, and compliance.

New Delhi: The 57th meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, which was scheduled for September 12, has been postponed and is likely to be held on October 7 in the national capital.

The meeting has been postponed because BRICS Leaders’ Summit is scheduled for September 12-13 which clashes with the date that was fixed for the GST Council meeting, according to reliable sources.

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Preparatory meetings of GST officers have been scheduled for October 5 and 6. The first meeting is expected to take place October 5, while the second is scheduled for October 6. An official notification confirming the new date will also be issued and Delhi is expected to remain as venue for the meeting.

The preparatory meetings of government officers for the GST meeting will now be held on October 5 from 3 pm and on October 6 from 11 am onwards, ahead of the Council meeting on October 7, according to an office memorandum sent to council members, said sources.

The October meeting is expected to focus on several pending issues related to input tax credit (ITC), refunds and GST compliance. These include proposals to ease restrictions on certain ITC claims and address the problem of accumulated credits under the inverted duty structure, among other issues.

This is the first meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council since the rationalization of GST slabs from four to three in September 2025 as part of the far reaching GST 2.0 reforms.

Under the overhaul, most goods and services were moved to two main tax slabs of 5 per cent and 18 per cent. The Council also created a special 40 per cent rate for a limited set of demerit and luxury goods, replacing the earlier 28 per cent slab plus compensation cess on those items. The new rates came into effect on September 22, 2025.

The GST Council is chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and includes finance ministers from all states and Union Territories. Under its rules, the Council is required to meet at least once every quarter, although meetings have sometimes been held after longer gaps.