Yogi Adityanath calls for trader-friendly tax system, better services for honest taxpayers

Lucknow ( Raghwendra Pratap Singh) : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed the state tax department to enhance revenue collection while ensuring facilities, respect, and speedy grievance redressal for honest traders.

The chief minister said the role of the state tax department was crucial in achieving the state's target of becoming a USD 1 trillion economy, and stressed the need for a governance model based on both revenue augmentation and trust.

According to an official statement, Adityanath was chairing a review meeting with senior officials of the State Tax Department at headquarters and field levels.

He instructed officials to make the tax system simpler, more digital, and more accountable, and said that unnecessary delays in processes such as GST registration, return filing, appeal disposal, and refunds must be eliminated.

The chief minister also called for continuous engagement with traders, awareness programmes for small businesses, and taxpayer assistance initiatives at district and block levels. He said technology and data analytics should be used both to curb tax evasion and promote legitimate business activities.

Officials informed the meeting that Uttar Pradesh collected total revenue of Rs 1,15,977 crore under GST and VAT in the financial year 2025-26, achieving about 98.8 per cent of the revised estimate. Uttar Pradesh ranked second in GST collections in the country, after Maharashtra and ahead of Karnataka.

Adityanath directed that trader outreach programmes be expanded further. Officials said such programmes involving administrative officers and traders had been held in all 75 districts, focusing on GST registration, return filing, and GST 2.0 reforms.

Training sessions were also organised for traders on filing returns, and "Vyapar Bandhu" meetings were held across districts. The state tax department has also prepared a plan to conduct block-level outreach programmes from June 2026.

The meeting was further informed that dialogues had been held with various business sectors, trader bodies, and bar associations at the state level.

Coordination has also been strengthened with departments including CGST, DGGI, and Railways. In view of global conditions, outreach programmes were also conducted with bullion traders at both state and district levels.