New Delhi, June 23 : The confidence in Goods and Services Tax (GST) has steadily risen from 59 per cent in 2022 to 85 per cent in 2025, driven by improved compliance maturity, digitisation and proactive engagement by policymakers, a report showed on Monday.

As India marks the completion of eight years since the GST rollout, Deloitte India's survey captured a robust endorsement of the tax reform by businesses across sectors and sizes. The respondents expressed a strong sentiment to get to the next phase of GST reforms, keeping in line with the $5 trillion economy.

'Eighth anniversary of the GST regime marks a significant milestone, with India Inc showing sustained optimism towards the tax framework,' said Gokul Chaudhri, President, Tax, Deloitte India.

He emphasised that automation of tax processes, especially e-invoicing and return auto-population, continues to deliver tangible benefits, and that industry acknowledges the government's collaborative approach in resolving concerns through timely clarifications.

2024 was a blockbuster year of GST reforms, which included the streamlining of the investigation process, clarifications specifically around valuation, stemming unwanted litigation, export-focused clarifications, measures to reduce working capital and a reduction in the quantum of pre-deposits.

'In this backdrop, to fully realise the objective of GST 2.0, India must prioritise forward-looking reforms, AI-powered compliance tools for using data, effective grievance redressal mechanisms, building a more agile, inclusive and positively transformative tax ecosystem,' Mahesh Jaising, Partner and Indirect tax leader, Deloitte India said.

While most respondents acknowledged that GST circulars have improved clarity, a growing majority (67 percent in 2025 vs 55 percent in 2024) points to ongoing ground-level implementation challenges.

The survey made key recommendations for the GST Council to consider. Foremost among them is prioritising export liberalisation, marking a shift from its fourth-place position last year to the top priority in 2025.

This notable rise highlights a strategic move in industry expectations and a collective push for enhanced exports from India. The survey also reiterates its recommendation to rationalise GST rates across the supply chain. The survey also recommends a tailored policy approach on the MSME front.

'While progress has been encouraging, there is an increasing expectation of India Inc. for GST 2.0 to focus on positively evolving certain critical areas such as dispute resolution, audit simplification and GST rate rationalisation,' Jaising added.

The survey is based on 963 responses from senior corporate executives across eight industries.

India's gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection for May 2025 reached Rs 2.01 lakh crore, marking a 16.4 per cent rise compared to the Rs 1.72 lakh crore collected in May 2024.

/IANS